KARACHI - Money changer Javaid Khanani Sunday died after falling from an under-construction building in Muhammad Ali Society here, the police said.
A spokesman for the Sindh Police, in a statement said, as per initial information, he fell from the 8th floor of an under-construction building in the limits of Bahadurabad Police Station.
“He (got) entangled in electric wires (while falling down) and hit the ground,” he added.
Doctors said that deceased received severe electric shocks and injuries which resulted in his death.
Javaid Khanani was alone and on a routine visit to the construction site, police said, adding that his business partners were at a nearby office when the incident happened.
Police spokesman said that Javaid Khanani was taken to a private hospital by one of his partners where his family reached after hearing about the incident. The family immediately took the body from the hospital without fulfilling any police/medico-legal formalities.
“So far they (family) are not willing (for autopsy) as they are claiming it a suicide or accident,” the spokesman said.
He further said several labourers were taken to the police station for interrogation from the site. “No CCTV footage or eyewitnesses have been accessible so far,” he added.
Javaid Khanani was one of the directors of money business group Khanani & Kalia International, which is quite infamous for shadowy practices and operates under different names from various countries.
The money exchange group allegedly facilitates illicit money movement between Pakistan, the Middle East, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other countries.
The exchange company was banned about five years ago in Pakistan and their offices were sealed by the FIA. Four of their employees, including Javaid were arrested, but released after prosecution failed to prove them guilty in the court.
FIA sources said that still an inquiry was pending against the group and sanctions imposed by State Bank of Pakistan remain imposed. However, the money exchange group has been operating with different names from various other countries.
The group is also accused of laundering illicit funds for organised crime groups, drug trafficking organisations and designated terrorist groups throughout the world.
US authorities designated Dubai-based money exchange company Al Zarooni, owned by the Khanani group, and charged it for facilitating and assisting terrorist groups across the world. They reportedly also arrested one of the company directors - Altaf Khanani - for his involvement in laundering funds for designated terrorist organisations.
