The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency arrested 89 suspects on Wednesday in raids on four alleged illegal call centres in Lahore and Karachi, as part of a countrywide crackdown on scams targeting foreign nationals. The Lahore circle raided three centres and arrested 42 people, while the Karachi circle arrested 47 at a centre operating as Azaan Enterprises at Technology Park on Sharea Faisal.
In Lahore, suspects allegedly lured foreign citizens with fake telecom packages and mobile phone upgrades to extract money. In Karachi, suspects allegedly obtained foreign nationals’ banking information through deceptive calls and used it to steal money. Across the four raids, officials seized 117 laptops, 76 mobile phones and two desktop computers for forensic examination.
The 47 Karachi suspects were later produced before a judicial magistrate, who granted three days in agency custody for questioning into how the centres operated, including their financial channels and digital setup. The case is a warning for anyone receiving unsolicited calls seeking bank details: no genuine bank or telecom company asks for such information by phone.
Sources: Dawn, The Nation (National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency). Written in our own words for information only.