NCCIA Arrests 1,749 Suspects in 53 Days, Raids Call Centres

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested 1,749 suspects and registered 442 cases after receiving 10,386 cybercrime complaints in the past 53 days, according to official figures. These NCCIA arrests include a heavy crackdown on illegal call centres operating scams.

NCCIA Arrests and Figures at a Glance

The agency’s Cyber Patrolling Unit completed technical analysis of 4,530 URLs and referred 1,186 illegal web links to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for blocking.

Raids on Illegal Call Centres

In the crackdown on illegal call centres, authorities carried out 59 raids and registered 43 cases. A total of 973 suspects were arrested, including 211 foreign nationals, and 15,502 items were seized during the raids.

Additional Director Shahzad Akbar earlier said that 300 to 350 skimming and scam call centres were operating in Karachi. He said the agency had decided not to grant any concession to those involved, and that action had been taken against one of three major companies operating in the sector, which had also faced action in the past.

Who Is Being Targeted

Akbar said young people who should be in education were being employed in these call centres, while local residents and retired people were among those targeted in the fraud. The agency seized 329 laptops containing fake IDs and credit card details. According to him, credit card holders were deceived through various offers and their accounts were emptied through fraudulent schemes.

What Happens Next

The NCCIA says it will keep up action against scam operations. Citizens are advised not to share card details or one-time codes with callers, and to report suspicious calls to the NCCIA.

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