NCCIA busts illegal call centres in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, 154 arrested

ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested 154 suspects, including 53 women, after busting two illegal call centres in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The three-day operation broke up a network running international cyber fraud and online blackmail.

A call centre inside a house, and a bigger base in Islamabad
NCCIA Additional Director Shoaib Khan told a press conference on Saturday that teams raided a call centre operating inside a house in Rawalpindi and arrested 11 suspects, including 10 women and one man. In a separate operation in Islamabad, 143 suspects were arrested, including 43 women. The network was targeting citizens of South Asian countries.

The loan-app trap, then blackmail
According to Khan, the gang persuaded people to install mobile applications by offering loans. Once installed, the apps gave them access to personal information, photographs and other data stored on victims’ phones. The photographs and videos were then edited to create obscene material, which was used to threaten, harass and blackmail the victims. The agency says 37 of those arrested had been involved in harassment and blackmail for the past two to three years. Cases have been registered and investigations are under way.

Court production and what comes next
The Nation reported that the case was registered on 13 November at the NCCIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad. The FIR names the call centre as “Born CC / NZ Corporation”, run by a four-member management under the guise of a legitimate IT business. The accused were produced before a magistrate through video link on Saturday; the men were given physical remand while the women were sent to jail. Khan also announced a major crackdown on fraud carried out in the name of online betting and gaming, warning that such schemes lure people with early profits before depriving them of their money. He appealed to parents to watch their children’s activities and discourage them from taking jobs at illegal call centres for attractive salaries, warning that involvement could damage their future and leave them with a criminal record.