NCCIA raids three illegal call centres in Islamabad, 212 held in international fraud probe

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Tuesday raided three alleged illegal call centres in sectors E-11 and G-10 in Islamabad during the last 24 hours, taking 212 Pakistani and Chinese men and women into custody in connection with an alleged international online fraud network.

NCCIA is tasked with protecting digital infrastructure, enforcing cyber laws, and promoting cyber awareness and resilience.

An official told APP that the raids were conducted as part of a major operation against illegal call centres involved in different forms of online fraud.

An NCCIA spokesperson said the agency recovered 306 mobile phones, 383 computers/CPUs, 299 monitors and laptops during the operations.

According to the spokesperson, the suspects allegedly used different methods to target people online, including Google-related fraud, loan and dating schemes, fake social media profiles and fraudulent trading offers.

Read: Rs300m call centre extortion case debated in Senate IT committee

The initial investigation also indicated alleged links of the network with India and Brazil, while Chinese nationals were among those taken into custody, the spokesperson said.

In G-10, NCCIA teams raided two alleged illegal call centres, where investigators found that different online schemes were allegedly being used to deceive people. The detained persons also included Pakistani women.

Read More: Foreigners among 65 held in NCCIA raid

Due to the large number of detained suspects, the call centre premises were declared a sub-jail for further legal proceedings.

A case had been registered under relevant sections of law against 212 suspects, including seven Chinese nationals, while further investigation was underway to determine the network’s operations, financial links and the role of each suspect.

On August 14, NCCIA raided an alleged call centre and an illegal digital centre operating in Sparco Plaza in Gulberg Greens, Islamabad and arrested 114 foreign nationals, including 111 Chinese and three Vietnamese, for allegedly gaining financial benefits through online immoral activities.

On December 25, 2025, NCCIA dismantled an organised international online fraud network in an intelligence-based operation, arresting 34 suspects, including 15 foreign nationals and 19 Pakistanis.

Sindh Interior Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, accompanied by NCCIA Sindh chief Tariq Nawaz, disclosed the details during a press conference at the Salim Wahidi Auditorium, Clifton License Branch. He said the arrests were made during raids conducted in DHA Phase I and Phase VI.

Also Read: 34 arrested, including 15 foreigners, in Karachi cyber fraud crackdown

The minister said the group was operating fake investment platforms to trap victims. Using automated bots, the suspects created artificial activity in Telegram groups to make the platforms appear legitimate. Victims were shown fake online dashboards that displayed fabricated investment figures and profits, convincing them that their money was growing, whereas the entire system was controlled by the fraudsters.

He further revealed that more than 10,000 foreign SIM cards and six illegal gateway exchange setups were recovered from the suspects. These SIM cards were used to create fake social media and Telegram accounts, receive PIN and OTP verification codes and maintain communication through WhatsApp when required.

According to the investigators, the network’s operations involved managing Telegram groups and social media accounts, persuading victims to invest, collecting money in bank accounts in targeted countries, converting the funds into cryptocurrency and transferring the proceeds to the main beneficiaries across borders.

The minister said the seized material included 37 computers, 40 mobile phones, over 10,000 international SIM cards and six illegal gateway exchange devices. He added that the crackdown was carried out on December 18 during a raid on a fraudulent call centre in Karachi.