PPC § 405 — Criminal breach of trust

Statutory text (English)

Whoever, being in any manner entrusted with property or with
any dominion over property, dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use that property, or
dishonestly uses or disposes of that property in violation of any direction of law prescribing the mode in
which such trust is to be discharged, or of any legal contract, express or implied, which he has made
touching the discharge of such trust, or wilfully suffers any other person so to do, commits “criminal breach
of trust”.
Illustrations
(a) A, being executor to the will of a deceased person, dishonestly disobeys the law
which directs him to divide the effects according to the will, and appropriates them
to his own use. A has committed criminal breach of trust.
(b) A is a warehouse-keeper. Z, going on a journey, entrusts his furniture to A, under
a contract that it shall be returned on payment of a stipulated sum for
warehouse-room. A dishonestly sells the goods. A has committed criminal breach
of trust.
(c) A, residing in 1[Dacca], is agent for Z, residing at 2[Lahore]. There is an express or
implied contract between A and Z, that all sums remitted by Z to A shall be invested
by A, according to Z’s direction. Z, remits a lakh of rupees to A, with directions to
A to invest the same in Company’s paper. A dishonestly disobeys the directions
and employs the money in his own business. A has committed criminal breach of
trust.
(d) But if A, in the last illustration, not dishonestly but in good faith, believing that it
will be more for Z’s advantage to hold shares in the Bank of Bengal, disobeys Z’s
directions, and buys shares in the Bank of Bengal, for Z, instead of buying
Company’s paper, here, though Z should suffer loss, and should be entitled to bring
a civil action against A, on account of that loss, yet A, not having acted dishonestly,
has not committed criminal breach of trust.
(e) A, a revenue-officer, is entrusted with public money and is either directed by law,
or bound by a contract, express or implied, with the Government, to pay into a
certain treasury all the public money which he holds. A dishonestly appropriates
the money. A has committed criminal breach of trust.
(f) A, a carrier, is entrused by Z with property to be carried by land or by water. A
dishonestly misappropriates the property. A has committed criminal breach of trust.

Source and verification

Source citation: PPC (Act XLV of 1860) s.405: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE PAKISTAN PENAL CODE' (Act No. XLV of 1860), p. 143, 144, ingested 2026-09-15. Automated transcription from official source (pypdf extraction, audited artifact repair); human admin re-check required before production.

Verification status: verified · Text status: auto_transcribed_verified_source

The record cites an official source, but its transcription is automated or only partly checked; a human re-check is pending.

Official Urdu text status: pending_official_urdu_text. Where official Urdu wording has not been sourced, Qanoon does not substitute an unverified translation for the statutory text.

Historical text notes

1 historical record is linked to this section. Historical wording may be incomplete or pending verification; it is not presented as current law.

• Date not confirmed: Consolidated current text as published in the official Pakistan Code PDF (p. 143, 144) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment…

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