FIA tells committee 13 suspects named in FIRs as investigation into funds recovered from illegal operations continues
Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology reviewed allegations of embezzlement related to money collected from illegal call centers during a meeting chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.
Officials told the committee that the case relates to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and concerns an alleged monthly amount of Rs 15 crore siphoned off from illegal call centres.
Read: 34 arrested, including 15 foreigners, in Karachi cyber fraud crackdown
Representatives of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said the matter is being handled as an Anti-Corruption Wing case. They stated that a first information report had been registered against 13 suspects and described the allegations as extortion related to illegal call center activity.
The total amount reported is Rs 300 million.
Officials said Rs 1.5 crore had been recovered from a sub-inspector so far. They added that three people were missing, five suspects were out on bail and three were in custody.
FIA officials said the investigation could be expanded to include personnel from other departments if more evidence emerges.
Senator Pervaiz Rashid said the problem of illegal call centers had been reported for years, referring to earlier comments by former Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who had said such operations were sometimes carried out from vehicles and could involve government officials.
Senator Rashid asked how authorities could identify such networks before crimes are committed and whether similar call centers operate in the United States and the United Kingdom. He said complaints about Pakistan-based call centers were being raised internationally.
FIA officials told the committee that the case is being viewed as a federal anti-corruption matter and that the NCCIA is a separate entity from the FIA.
The IT Ministry secretary told the committee that call centers are not illegal if they are registered, but those involved in illegal activities are treated as illegal. He said there are around 3,000 registered call centers in Pakistan.
NCCIA officials told senators that about 150,000 cyber complaints were received last year. They said a major raid in Karachi had led to the identification of large call centers and that arrests were ongoing.
The additional home secretary said the FIA had carried out raids and technology is changing rapidly, which can leave agencies behind. He said cybercrime now extends beyond call centers and includes activities on social media.
