FIA tells committee 13 suspects named in FIRs as probe continues into funds recovered in illegal operations
Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology examined allegations of embezzlement linked to money collected from illegal call centers in a meeting chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.
Officials told the committee that the case pertained to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and involved an alleged monthly amount of Rs 15 million from illegal call centers.
Read: 34 people arrested, including 15 foreigners, in crackdown on cyber fraud in Karachi
Officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said the matter was being handled as a matter under the anti-corruption wing. They said a first information report had been registered against 13 suspects and termed the allegations as extortion linked to illegal call center activity.
The total amount alleged is Rs300 million.
Officials said Rs 1.5 million had so far been recovered from a sub-inspector. They added that three people were missing, five suspects were on bail and three were in custody.
FIA officials said the investigation could widen to include personnel from other departments if new 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 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 were committed and whether similar call centers operate in the US and UK. He said complaints about Pakistan-based call centers were being raised internationally.
FIA officials told the committee that the matter was considered a federal anti-corruption matter and that the NCCIA was 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 identified large call centers and arrests were being made.
The additional home secretary said the FIA had carried out searches and technology was changing rapidly, which could leave agencies in the lurch. He said cybercrime now extends beyond call centers and includes social media activities.
