Faisalabad, July 9, 2025: In a major cybercrime crackdown, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, has dismantled an illegal call centre operating in Faisalabad, arresting 149 individuals, including foreign nationals, for their alleged involvement in a large-scale Ponzi scheme.
The arrested suspects have been remanded in five-day physical custody by a Faisalabad court. Senior Civil Judge Ashfaq Malik presided over the hearings in seven separate cases, handing over all suspects to NCCIA investigators for further interrogation.
According to NCCIA officials, the call centre was linked to a former chairman of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) board of directors. Among those detained are 78 Pakistani nationals, with the remaining individuals hailing from other countries. The total includes 131 men and 18 women.
Authorities revealed that the group targeted vulnerable individuals—primarily overseas Pakistanis—via social media, luring them into fraudulent online investment schemes. The operations were run from a call centre in the Sarliwala area of Faisalabad, where operatives would contact people under false pretenses to solicit funds.
Malik Tahseen Awan has been identified as the prime suspect in all seven cases. According to sources, law enforcement is currently conducting raids to apprehend Awan, who is still at large.
Officials say the operation reflects a growing effort by Pakistan’s cybercrime authorities to clamp down on cross-border financial scams and digital fraud networks.
