FIA arrests 16 suspects for looting, faking identities

KARACHI: In a crackdown, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 16 suspects involved in extorting billions of rupees from people across Pakistan mostly by using digital technology.

According to details, the suspects attracted people by introducing themselves as representatives of a popular TV show ‘Jeeto Pakistan’ to collect their personal information.

Speaking at a press conference, the director of the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing, Waqar Ahmed Chauhan, informed that the suspects were arrested after months of investigations and surveillance.

He said, “Sometimes they introduced them as officers of the Pakistan Army or State Bank of Pakistan over the phone and collect personal information of the people, their bank details and extorted huge amounts in the name of a processing fee.”

He further said that the members of the gang were arrested from different parts of the country including Karachi, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad, and Gujrat.

“The FIA team formed in this regard coordinated closely during the course of their investigations, which led to successful actions across the country,” he added.

A total of seven cases were registered against the suspects. More than 5,000 mobile phone SIMs, BVS devices, and modern devices have been recovered from the possession of the arrested accused.