The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested 273 people during a raid on a call centre along Sharea Faisal as part of an investigation into an alleged international financial fraud operation targeting foreign nationals.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, NCCIA Additional Director Shahzad Akbar said the operation was carried out on November 4 near Kavish Crown Plaza, where investigators uncovered a facility operating under the name Voxtron Solutions.
Authorities confiscated 339 laptops, 152 mobile phones and four computers, which have been sent for technical examination and digital forensic analysis.
According to Akbar, preliminary investigations suggest that the call centre was involved in fraudulent activities using identity theft, impersonation and caller ID spoofing to deceive individuals living overseas.
Investigators believe the operation was disguised as a legitimate debt verification service, with employees allegedly posing as representatives of foreign banks and financial service providers.
“Personnel associated with the operation reportedly impersonated representatives of foreign banking institutions and debt validation service providers, contacting individuals abroad and offering assistance in the verification and validation of their outstanding financial obligations,” Akbar said.
He explained that the suspected scheme was designed to persuade victims to disclose confidential personal and financial information, including Social Security Numbers and payment card details.
Investigators suspect that the stolen information was subsequently used to carry out unauthorised financial transactions through merchant accounts.
The resulting funds were allegedly transferred to Pakistan through corporate banking accounts and remittance services, raising concerns about possible cross-border financial crime.
Akbar said the agency had established reasonable grounds to investigate the suspected fraud network and that all seized electronic equipment would undergo further examination.
A criminal case has been registered under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, covering unauthorised access to computer systems, unlawful copying or transmission of data, electronic forgery, electronic fraud, misuse of identity information and spoofing.
The arrests triggered protests by relatives of the detained individuals and local residents, who gathered near Baloch Colony Bridge on Sharea Faisal and temporarily disrupted traffic.
Demonstrators claimed that many of those taken into custody were ordinary call centre employees with no involvement in criminal activities.
They also expressed concern over the detention of approximately 100 women and demanded the immediate release of those they said had been wrongly arrested.
Traffic police diverted vehicles to alternative routes while local police officers negotiated with the protesters.
The demonstration eventually ended, allowing traffic to resume on the busy thoroughfare by 1:22pm.
The latest operation follows another NCCIA raid on an alleged illegal call centre along Sharea Faisal last week, during which more than 40 suspects were reportedly arrested.
Authorities have alleged that the earlier facility was also involved in fraudulent activities targeting people outside Pakistan.
Investigations into the latest case remain underway, with forensic examination of the recovered devices expected to help establish the nature and extent of the suspected operation.