In a significant raid on a scam call centre in Faisalabad, Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) arrested 149 people, including 78 Pakistanis and 71 foreigners, including 48 Chinese, several Filipinos, Nigerians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Zimbabweans, and Myanmar nationals.
The operation uncovered an elaborate Ponzi-style investment fraud, in which victims were enticed through WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram to invest small initial amounts, receive minimal returns, then encouraged to deposit larger sums via fake investment tasks. The gang allegedly pockets these funds without delivering promised profits.
According to reports, the institute was housed in a home owned by Malik Tasheen (Tehseen) Awan, a former board chairman of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company. On suspicion of fraud, forgery, and unlawful financial activities, seven formal complaints have been filed against the accused. Since the main suspect is still at large, police are trying to get him added to the national blacklist in order to stop him from escaping.
After the arrests, 87 individuals were given a five-day physical remand by the NCCIA, and 62 others were placed under 14 days of judicial custody. To track the network’s money transfers and disrupt its activities, investigators have confiscated computers, servers, and other digital evidence and are stepping up questioning.
