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