The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested a 12-member cybercrime gang in Lahore for allegedly hacking the data and communication systems of several foreign embassies, officials said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, NCCIA Punjab Director Ali Waseem said the suspects were involved in targeting the embassies of Saudi Arabia, Germany and Italy.
According to the official, the diplomatic missions informed the NCCIA that the group had hacked embassy contact numbers and diverted them to numbers under the gang’s control.
Authorities recovered fake appointment letters, mobile phones and digital evidence during the operation.
The NCCIA said the gang had been operating since 2019, targeting both Pakistani and foreign nationals through sophisticated cyber fraud.
Investigators said the suspects employed individuals proficient in multiple languages to facilitate their operations and had created fake embassy environments and counterfeit websites to deceive victims. A Singapore Police uniform was also recovered during the raids.
Law enforcement agencies are continuing operations to apprehend other alleged members of the network.
Ali Waseem also announced the arrest of another cybercrime group linked to a hacking application known as Tycoon 2FA, which he said had been sold 66,000 times. According to the NCCIA, the application enabled hackers to compromise mobile phones when users clicked on malicious links.
He added that the Singapore government had raised concerns with Pakistani authorities over the matter.
The official further announced that a joint task force comprising relevant stakeholders is being established to crack down on fraudulent call centres operating in the country.