The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has detained 258 foreign nationals, including 40 Chinese citizens, following a raid on an alleged scam call centre operating on the outskirts of Islamabad, officials said on Monday.
An FIA official told AFP that the operation targeted a facility in Gulberg Green, where the foreigners were allegedly working despite having entered Pakistan on tourist visas.
“They came to Pakistan on tourist visas and were not allowed to do what they were doing,” the official said.
Those detained include 170 Vietnamese nationals, as well as people from Malaysia and several other Asian countries. They are currently being held at a jail in Rawalpindi.
The FIA said the embassies of the respective countries had been notified about the detentions. Investigators are continuing to examine the operation, with further details of the allegations expected to be released in the coming days.
Officials said deportation is among the possible outcomes for those found to have violated Pakistani immigration or other laws.
Media reports indicated that the foreigners were taken into custody last week. AFP said it had approached the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.
The latest operation follows a similar crackdown in July 2025, when authorities arrested 149 people, including 71 foreigners, most of them Chinese nationals, over allegations involving a large call centre linked to Ponzi schemes and investment fraud.