KARACHI (The Thursday Times) — The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested 273 people, including more than 100 women and 42 under-18s, in a raid on a call centre near Shahrah-e-Faisal, Additional Director Shahzad Akbar said on Thursday. He said 300 to 350 scam call centres were operating in the city.
Akbar said the company was among Karachi’s top three scam call centres. More than 300 laptops and 152 mobile phones were seized, and he said the laptops held fake identities and credit card details, and that people based abroad were also involved. Officials say the suspects targeted both foreigners and local residents.
He said it was the first time employees had been named in a case alongside the owner. Previously, he said, only owners were charged, and their relatives would then open new companies with the same staff. He said the parents of underage workers would also be brought into the legal process under Section 109.
Judicial Magistrate East Gulraiz Memon granted two-day physical remand of nine main suspects and ordered the release of women and under-18s on bail against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each. The rest were sent to jail on judicial remand. A defence lawyer told the court those held included more than 70 juveniles and over 80 women. The suspects have not been convicted of any offence.
