Federal Investigation Agency’s Anti-Corruption Circle has registered a case against senior officers of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for their alleged involvement in extortion linked to illegal call centres. The case was filed in Islamabad and names several NCCIA officers, including additional directors from Rawalpindi, along with a frontman and a foreign national accused of facilitating the illegal transactions. According to the First Information Report, approximately 15 illegal call centres operating in Islamabad’s F-11 sector were paying millions of rupees monthly as extortion to NCCIA officers.
Investigations revealed that a woman paid millions to secure the release of her husband and 13 other foreign nationals, with the money reportedly collected through a frontman acting on behalf of the officers. Sources indicated that the prime suspect had previously served as NCCIA Sindh director. Meanwhile, FIA sources disclosed that around Rs15 million was being collected monthly from 15 illegal call centres in Rawalpindi. The organized extortion network reportedly generated roughly Rs120 million between September 2024 and April 2025. An additional director led the collection through a frontman while a sub-inspector finalized a deal for Rs800,000 per month with a newly established call centre.
The activities of NCCIA officers were further uncovered when a new team was deployed to Rawalpindi in May 2025. This team allegedly continued to collect Rs15 million monthly, with a sub-inspector appointing his clerk as a frontman to facilitate the process. During a raid at a Rawalpindi call centre, 14 foreign nationals were detained. FIA sources explained that the sub-inspector contacted the wife of one detainee through the frontman and reportedly subjected her husband to torture, sending a video to pressure her. She allegedly paid Rs8 million to secure his release, while Rs12 million was collected for the remaining 13 foreign nationals, and Rs1 million for legal formalities. The total Rs21 million obtained from this raid was reportedly distributed among the involved officials.
Another separate extortion agreement of Rs40 million was struck with a station house officer following a raid at an Islamabad F-11 call centre. This case follows the arrest of six NCCIA officials in Lahore for allegedly receiving Rs9 million in bribes from the wife of YouTuber Saadur Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai. Ducky Bhai had been sacked in August at Lahore airport by NCCIA, accused of promoting online gambling and betting platforms, including Binomo and 1xBet, through his YouTube channel. FIA’s investigation into these multimillion extortion schemes has revealed a network of corruption within NCCIA, highlighting concerns about accountability and oversight in law enforcement agencies dealing with cybercrime in Pakistan.
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