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PAGE 01 LAHORE 00143 040445Z
12
ACTION FSE-00
INFO OCT-01 NEA-10 ISO-00 ABF-01 SY-05 TRSE-00 /017 W
--------------------- 038160
R 040300Z FEB 76
FM AMCONSUL LAHORE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0718
INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
UNCLAS LAHORE 0143
ATTN: CHIEF, FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: AFIN, ASEC (THEFT OF FUNDS BY CONFIDENCE MEN)
SUBJ: INVESTIGATION OF IRREGULARITY
REF: 1. ISLAMABAD 0572
2. 3 FAM 634
1. ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1976, THE CASHIER AT THE AMCONSUL
LAHORE WAS ROBBED OF THIRTEEN HUNDRED RUPEES (U.S. DOLLARS
131.31).
2. THE THEFT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY TWO MALES, WHO CONFUSED
AND CONNED THE CASHIER. THE SUBJECTS ENTERED THE CONSULATE AND
GAVE THE IMPRESSION THEY REQUIRED CONSULAR SERVICES. WHILE
WAITING TO SEE AN OFFICER THEY APPROACHED THE RECEPTIONIST AND
REQUESTED CHANGE OF A FIFTY RUPEE NOTE. THE RECEPTIONIST INFORMED
THEM SHE COULD NOT MAKE CHANGE AND DIRECTED THEM TO THE CASHIER.
AT THE CASHIER'S WINDOW THE MEN ASKED FOR THE CHANGE OF THE
FIFTY RUPEE NOTE AND RECEIVED FIVE, 10 RUPEE NOTES. THE MEN THEN
TOOK OUT TWO, 50 RUPEE NOTES AND ASKED FOR ONE, 100 RUPEE
NOTE WHICH THE CASHIER GAVE THEM. ONE OF THE MEN THEN TOOK OUT
A WAD OF US DOLLARS AND INQUIRED IF THE CASHIER WOULD GIVE
HIM A US ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL IN EXCHANGE. THE CASHIER
INFORMED HIM HE DID NOT HAVE A BILL OF THAT DENOMINATION;
AND ADDED THAT TWENTY DOLLAR NOTES WERE THE LARGEST DENOMINATION
HE HAD AVAILABLE. THE SUBJECT THEN PULLED OUT A US TWENTY DOLLAR
NOTE AND ASKED IF IT COULD BE EXCHANGED FOR AN "F" SERIES US
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TWENTY DOLLAR NOTE. THE CASHIER FOUND AN "F" SERIES TWENTY
DOLLAR NOTE AND MADE THE EXCHANGE FOR WHICH THE SUBJECT OFFERED
THE CASHIER FIVE RUPEES, WHICH HE REFUSED. THE SUBJECT THEN
ENQUIRED IF THE CASHIER HAD ANY ONE HUNDRED RUPEE NOTES WITH
A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE BADSHAHI MOSQUE ON THE REAR, IMPLYING
THAT THERE WERE DIFFERENT SERIES ONE HUNDRED RUPEE NOTES, EACH
WITH A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE MOSQUE. THE CASHIER SHOWED THE
SUBJECTS A ONE HUNDRED RUPEE NOTE AND TOLD THEM THE REST WERE
THE SAME, WHICH THE SUBJECTS QUESTIONED AND ASKED TO SEE ALL
THE NOTES. WHEN THE CASHIER HESITATED ONE OF THE SUBJECTS
QUESTIONED "WHY? DON'T YOU TRUST ME? IF YOU DO NOT TRUST ME,
YOU CAN HAVE MY DOLLAR BILLS IN EXCHANGE." HE THEN GRABBED THE
PACKET OF BILLS AND STARTED TO SHUFFLE THROUGH IT ALLEGEDLY
LOOKING FOR A NOTE WITH A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE MOSQUE. HE
THEN RETURNED THE PACKET OF BILLS AND DEPARTED THE CASHIER'S
WINDOW. WHEN THE CASHIER PICKED UP THE PACKET HE FELT IT
WAS SMALLER AND A COUNT DISCLOSED 13 BILLS (1300 RUPEES)
WERE MISSING. THE CASHIER ATTEMPTED TO LOCATE THE SUBJECTS BUT
THEY HAD ALREADY LEFT THE PREMISES AND COULD NOT BE LOCATED.
3. A COMPOSITE DESCRIPTION OF THE INDIVIDUALS AND DETAILS
OF THE THEFT WERE IMMEDIATELY TELEPHONED TO THE REGIONAL SECURITY
OFFICER IN ISLAMABAD WHO ALERTED ALL POSTS IN PAKISTAN (BY
TELEPHONE) AND AMERICAN EMBASSY IN ADJOINING COUNTRIES (REFTEL)
OF THE DETAILS.
4. LAHORE FUNDS WERE IMMEDIATELY AUDITED AND THE LOSS CONFIRMED.
5. LOCAL AUTHORITIES WERE OFFICIALLY NOTIFIED BUT NO ARRESTS
HAVE AS YET BEEN MADE. INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.
6. ON MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1976, TWO INDIVIDUALS (BELIEVED TO
BE THE SAME AS MENTIONED IN PARAGRAPH TWO ABOVE) ENTERED THE
U.S. EMBASSY ISLAMABAD, AND ATTEMPTED THE SAME SCHEME. THE
EMBASSY CASHIER MADE CHANGE BUT, AS HE HAD BEEN BRIEFED,
WOULD NOT SHOW HIS RUPEES AND LOST NO FUNDS. UNFORTUNATELY HE
DID NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT UNTIL AFTER THE SUSPECTS HAD LEFT
THE PREMISES AND THEY WERE NOT APPREHENDED.
7. IT HAS SINCE BEEN LEARNED THAT A SIMILAR SCHEME WAS RECENTLY
WORKED ON THE CASHIER ON THE LAHORE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL
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BY TWO INDIVIDUALS. HE REPORTS THE LOSS OF THIRTY ONE HUNDRED
RUPEES (U.S. DOLLARS 313.13) TO THE CONFIDENCE MEN.
8 THE CONSULATE GENERAL CASHIER HAS NOT BEEN RELIEVED OF HIS
DUTIES.
GIBNEY
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