Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has uncovered and shut down a major fraudulent call center involved in Ponzi schemes and investment scams during a raid in Faisalabad, arresting a record 149 individuals, including several foreign nationals.
According to official details, NCCIA executed a coordinated raid in cooperation with a sensitive government agency at a location on the Sangla Hill-Shahkot Road in Faisalabad. This operation represents the largest single raid against online fraud rings in Pakistan’s history, demonstrating the scale and seriousness of cybercrime activity emerging within the country.
The fraudulent call center was operating inside the residence of Malik Tahseen Awan, former Chairman of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) Board of Directors. Investigations indicate that suspects from this location deceived individuals into fraudulent investments and collected significant sums illegally.
Authorities arrested 149 suspects on-site, comprising 131 males and 18 females. The arrested included a significant number of foreign nationals: 73 foreigners and 76 Pakistanis were apprehended. Among the foreign nationals detained, there were 3 men and 5 women from Nigeria, 1 man and 3 women from the Philippines, one man and one woman from Sri Lanka, 6 Bangladeshi men, one woman from Zimbabwe, two women from Myanmar, and 44 additional foreign individuals. Pakistani suspects consisted of 76 men and 2 women.
Following the arrests, authorities charged the accused in seven separate cases (FIR numbers 141 to 147) for fraud, forgery, and involvement in fake investment schemes. Investigations are currently ongoing, with officials looking into the full scope of the fraudulent schemes.
Malik Tahseen Awan has been identified as the central suspect and is named in all seven registered cases. Law enforcement officials are conducting further raids to apprehend him and have placed his name on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), preventing any attempts to flee the country.
