The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) arrested five foreign nationals during a raid on an illegal call centre located in Islamabad’s G-10 Markaz after an inquiry into a task-based online scam caused financial losses to victims.

 

 

As per the first information report (FIR) submitted by complainant Aamir Azeem Abbasi, the call centre, operating out of Sardar Plaza, was engaged in impersonating representatives of a fraudulent online earning company. The suspects allegedly lured people, including foreign nationals, into fraudulent easy-money-making schemes. The FIR mentioned that over 60 employees were present at the site.

 

 

A team was formed by the Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (CCRC) Islamabad after obtaining search and seizure warrants from the court. During the raid, digital equipment used in the scam was seized. The five foreign nationals present at the site were unable to provide any legal justification for the equipment and confessed to engaging in electronic fraud.

 

 

According to the FIR, the gang employed internet-downloaded and AI-generated images, alongside false identities, to reach out to isolated or vulnerable individuals via Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp. The operation was organized in various tiers: scammers first contacted victims, Telegram receptionists gathered personal information for further exploitation, finance managers oversaw cryptocurrency accounts like Binance to collect illicit funds, and accomplices in countries such as Cambodia drained bank accounts under the guise of online earning schemes.

 

 

The investigation uncovered that the group extorted substantial amounts from both local and international victims by accessing confidential data and misusing it to solicit money. The illicit proceeds were laundered through cryptocurrency wallets.

 

 

The NCCIA filed the case under Sections 13 and 14 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, along with Sections 419, 420, 34, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Inspector Ashir Aroon was appointed to lead the investigation with consent from the additional director of the CCRC Islamabad.

 

 

After their apprehension, the five suspects were presented before Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah, who granted the NCCIA a two-day physical remand. The suspects are set to appear in court again on July 16.

 

 

The NCCIA indicated that additional legal measures would be taken against those who provided support or protection to the detained individuals. The inquiry into other potential accomplices is still ongoing.

 

 

This raid follows similar operations in Faisalabad, Karachi, Multan, and Lahore in recent months, where multiple suspects were arrested for their roles in online fraud and digital scams.