Pakistan police have arrested and charged former cricketer and national team fielding coach Ijaz Ahmed with alleged forgery. Police officials at the Gulberg police station in Lahore said two property dealers had filed a complaint against Ijaz, 40, for issuing them cheques that had bounced.
The value of the cheques is reportedly Rs 11 million (approximately $138,000). "They have filed a forgery case against Ijaz who is under arrest now," police official Rana Jabbar told Reuters.
However, former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik, who is also Ijaz's brother-in-law, denied that his former team-mate had committed any wrongdoing. "The truth is that these property dealers owe money to Ijaz and they have registered a false case against him," Malik said.
Ijaz played 60 Tests and 250 ODIs and was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 1992 World Cup. Following his retirement from international cricket, he had been working as the fielding coach of the national team for the last few months. Previously, he was on the selection committee and had also served as senior coach at the National Cricket Academy.