The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has confirmed the arrest of five foreign nationals during a late-night raid on an illegal call centre in Islamabad. According to a press release issued Monday, the operation targeted a facility in Sardar Plaza, G-10 Markaz, where over 60 individuals were reportedly working at the time of the raid. The agency seized equipment used in executing digital scams and has initiated further legal action against those who facilitated and protected the operation.
The raid was launched following the registration of a first information report (FIR) on Sunday by complainant Aamir Azeem Abbasi. The FIR detailed a scam that had resulted in financial losses due to task-based fraud schemes. It mentioned a tip-off from a reliable source indicating the presence of a gang operating under the guise of a fake online earning company. Subsequent inquiries by NCCIA concluded that the call centre had been engaging in impersonation and electronic fraud through coordinated efforts.
According to the FIR, the fraudulent operation involved the use of fake and AI-generated photos along with fabricated online identities. These personas were deployed across social media platforms including Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp to target isolated and vulnerable individuals globally. Once contact was established, victims were gradually led through a series of deceptive interactions intended to lure them into false investment opportunities under the pretext of easy online earnings.
The scam followed a structured hierarchy. Initial contact was made by chat-based scammers, who then passed victims’ details to Telegram-based receptionists for deeper engagement. Finance managers operated cryptocurrency wallets to collect fraudulent earnings from both local and international sources. The most damaging step involved operatives referred to as “killers” based abroad, including in Cambodia, who ultimately emptied the bank accounts of targeted individuals.
The FIR confirmed that the accused confessed to their roles in a larger organized group conducting electronic fraud through extortion and impersonation. None of the arrested individuals could present lawful justification for their operations, and the seized equipment is now part of the ongoing investigation.
NCCIA emphasized that the gang had accumulated significant amounts of money from Pakistani and international victims by gaining unauthorized access to confidential information. The extorted funds were laundered via cryptocurrency, complicating traceability and international jurisdiction efforts.
This latest raid adds to a series of recent enforcement actions led by NCCIA. Last week, 149 individuals—including 48 Chinese nationals—were detained during a raid on a factory in Faisalabad linked to similar online fraud activities. In that case, 87 suspects were granted five-day physical remand, while 62 others were sent to judicial custody. A separate operation last month in Karachi led to the arrest of 18 individuals suspected of cyber scams, all of whom were placed under NCCIA interrogation.
Earlier in May, NCCIA, working in coordination with the FBI and Dutch police, arrested 21 suspects in Multan and Lahore tied to digital fraud schemes amounting to millions of dollars. The agency continues to pursue leads related to organized cybercrime networks across the country and abroad.
