FIA cybercrime wing launches countrywide crackdown
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SLAMABAD - The Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested as many nine suspects besides registering a case against 19 accused in a crackdown against online loan-giving applications (apps) on charges of blackmailing citizens. The agency initiated action against loan-giving mobile apps after an unemployed Rawalpindi-based citizen allegedly committed suicide following his failure to repay the interest as well as loan he had borrowed through an app.
An FIA spokesperson, in a statement said, the cybercrime wing conducted raids at the offices of a financial service in the area of Rawalpindi’s Saidpur Road during which nine suspects were held. He said that an FIR has been registered against 19 accused for operating the company.
According to details, FIA officials sealed a number of offices of the company.
The FIA spokesperson said that the suspects were given targets to make 100 to 150 threatening calls a day to citizens, their friends and families for the recovery of interest and loans. It added that different sections had been established at the raided office to make threatening calls while a separate department was being run to deal with ‘torture calls’. “Every department had been given separate tasks in relation to making calls,” said the spokesperson.
The FIA said the departments were called “D-0, D-1, D-2, DS-1, DS-2, and DS-3” and the suspects would collect personal information of citizens through the loan apps. “Afterwards, they used it to harass and threaten people.”
The FIA added that a large number of documents, computers, laptops and mobile SIM cards were taken into possession during the raid.
It added that an investigation has been started while raids were being conducted to arrest the culprits.
A day earlier, FIA had raided two offices of a loan app located in Sector G-8 of Islamabad. The agency sealed its offices and confiscated laptops and other material from there.
The agency has also contacted the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan to get details about the app companies.
