Authorities in Karachi have detained more than 200 people as part of a drive against fraudulent call centres, according to Additional Director Shahzad Akbar of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
Speaking to a news channel, Akbar said cybercrime is growing and that conventional offences are increasingly moving onto digital platforms. He estimated that 300 to 350 skimming and scam call centres are operating in Karachi, and said the agency would show no leniency toward those involved.
Scale of the call centre crackdown and arrests
Akbar said the agency had taken action against one of three major companies active in the sector, and that the same firm had faced action in the past. More than 200 people were arrested during the operation, he said, including around 100 women and 42 teenage boys and girls.
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Legal action against networks and underage workers
A case has been registered against the entire network, Akbar said. Parents of underage workers will also be brought into legal proceedings under Section 109. He said young people who should be in education were being hired by the centres, while local residents and retired people had also been targeted by the fraud.
Seized laptops and monitoring of drug networks
The agency seized 329 laptops containing fake identity documents and credit card details, Akbar said. He said card holders were lured through deceptive offers, after which their accounts were emptied. Criminals hid their identities behind fake profiles to access and drain accounts, which he described as illegal.
Akbar also said the NCCIA is working against drug networks operating in universities, where drugs are being supplied online. He added that the agency is monitoring agents operating outside various institutions who are involved in fraud, and that action would be taken against them and challans submitted.
