Hyderabad: The Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)Dr. Sanaullah Abbasi has said that cyber crime has also increased with theabundant use of social media as the FIA received over 100,000 complaintsfrom across the country in 2021 and it recorded as many as 60,000complaints during the first quarter of 2022.
He said that despite limited resources, the Federal Investigation Agencysuccessfully resolved most of the complaints received in years 2021 and2022 and the justice had been provided to the victims and punishments tothose resorted to cyber crime in the country.
He was addressing at the international conference on emerging trends ininformation and engineering technologies organized under the auspices ofSindh University’s Dr Abdul Hussain Shah Bukhari Postgraduate Centre incollaboration with Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) which concludedFriday.
The Director General FIA said that there were many challenges posed to theagency on account of limited resources adding that he was trying toovercome human and financial issues so as to work more effectively .
“There is a need to raise awareness among the youth to prevent cyber crimesand the role of university cannot be ignored in this regard”, he observed.Dr Abbasi discussed in detail the cyber crime, its laws, punishments, thenumber of complaints registered with the FIA and the modus operandi forlodging the grouses.
He said that the procedure for filing complaints with FIA was easy.“Complaints can be lodged online by visiting the organization’s websitewhile the same can also be made through correspondence”, he maintained.
He said that the students in majority had been found to lodge thecomplaints regarding cyber crime, for which he said steps were taken inaccordance with the nature of the cases to halt such things.
DG FIA said that he also wanted to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU)with the University of Sindh to work together on cyber security, underwhich the internship opportunities could be provided to the graduates andundergraduates of the varsity.
Dr. Abbasi said that recently 90,000 applications were received from theyouth across the country for internship in the FIA, which he said showedthe confidence of the job-seekers upon the agency. “We want our indigenoussolution to cyber security and crimes; we do not hinge on externalassistance about different difficult cases in future too”, he maintained.
He said that the role of the University of Sindh could prove vital inmaking own mechanism and way forward for indigenous solution of theproblems.
He said that due to COVID-19, the entire budget was transferred by thegovernment to the health department, as a result of which he said nosignificant grants were received to FIA for the prevention of cyber crime.
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He said that cyber space patrol is also being carried out by FIA addingthat currently, many social cyber activities were detected and thwarted bythe agency.
The FIA is working on involving university volunteers and internees tocreate awareness among the students and general public, he informed.
He said that with the increasing use of technology and the proliferation ofsmart phones and gadgets, the number of cyber crime complaints received bythe Federal Investigation Agency from all over the country during 2021 wererecorded over 100,000. Only social site Facebook was used as a medium forcyber crime with 23% of the total complaints, he added.
Dr Abbasi said the increase in cyber crime reporting is reflection ofpublic confidence on the agency adding that not only general public but lawenforcing agencies also contacted with the agency in this context as it wasthe only platform to investigate into cyber crime cases and communicatewith international law enforcement agencies.
The Vice Chancellor University of Sindh Prof. Dr. Muhammad Siddique Kalhorowhile accepting the offer of DG FIA regarding inking of MoU with FIA saidthe memorandum of understanding would soon be signed between the twoorganizations for the benefit of university students.
He said that the varsity will extend its all out cooperation with FIA inincreasing manpower as well as human resources and providing it withtalented youth so that the agency could become more powerful and effectivein dealing with cyber crimes.
On the last day of the conference different sessions were held in whichmany local and foreign scholars read their research papers both online andon-site.
Among others, Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Prof. Dr.Khalil-ur-Rehman Khombati, Director Dr. AHS Bukhari Post Graduate Centerand Chairman of the Conference Prof. Dr. Lachhman Das Dhomeja, ConferenceSecretary Dr. Ayaz Ali Hakro, Prof. Dr. Azhar Ali Shah, Dr. Niaz Ali Arejo,Dr. Nek Muhammad Sheikh, Dr. Shahmurad Chandio, Prof. Asif Ali Jamali andDr. Zeeshan Ali Bhatti were present also present on the occasion.
