Islamabad:
The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) took energetic measures against criminals who use foreign mobile phone SIM cards, rounding 44 suspects from different parts of the country, said a senior official of the agency’s cyber crimes wing on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference, Waqaruddin Syed, Additional General Director of the Wing of Cybernetic Crimes of the FIA, said that the British preactivated SIM cards seemed to the most popular among those involved in cyber crimes in Pakistan.
“New methods are being used to harass people and one form is the use of foreign mobile sims [Subscriber Identity Modules] They are being used in cyber crimes, such as financial fraud, rescue kidnapping, child pornography and terrorism, “Syed said a press conference in the Federal Capital.
“For the most part, British Sims are being used in Pakistan, because these are easily available in the market and are also cheap. Added.
According to Syed, the FIA registered 21 cases against the illegal purchase and the sale of international Sims and arrested 44 suspects. He also said that 8,363 British Sims were recovered in raids in several cities, including fine, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Sukkur and Abbottabad.
“These Sims are illegally to Pakistan and buy through online orders (effective in delivery, through social media platforms such as Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook,” Syed said, and added that the FIA was taking measures against those involved in it under cyber crimes law.
The FIA official asked social media companies to maintain the data of the users of those Sims, because if such Sims were linked to terrorism or other heinous crimes, strict measures would be taken against their users. However, he said there would be no problem for those who used such sims legally.
“National repression has been launched. This repression is only the beginning and more measures will be taken to eradicate the cyber crimes of Pakistan. The Pakistan government will raise this matter with the British authorities,” he said.
PTA raids
The zonal offices of the Telecommunications Authority of Pakistan (PTA) in Sukkur and Faisalabad, in collaboration with the wing of cyber crimes of the FIA, made successful raids aimed at the illegal issuance and the sale of pre -activated international sims.
In Sukkur, a raid in the clock tower led to confiscation two international sims and five preactivated jazz sim cards. According to a press release on Friday, the store owner was arrested by the FIA and a FIR has been presented.
Meanwhile, in Faisalabad, the joint raids were carried out in three locations, which resulted in the arrest of two people involved in the illegal sale of international sims. The recovered Sims have been seized and the FIR are in process. More investigations and legal procedures are being carried out.
