NCCIA cracks down on online financial fraud, arrests 3 in Punjab

The operations were carried out on the special directions of NCCIA Punjab Director Hassam Bin Iqbal as part of efforts to curb cyber fraud and financial

LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has intensified its crackdown on online financial fraud across Punjab, arresting three suspects in separate operations in Multan and Faisalabad and recovering mobile phones, bank cards and SIMs from their possession.

The operations were carried out on the special directions of NCCIA Punjab Director Hassam Bin Iqbal as part of efforts to curb cyber fraud and financial scams targeting citizens.

In Multan, the NCCIA arrested a suspect identified as Shehryar, son of Abdul Shakoor, from Lodhran district. According to officials, the suspect allegedly defrauded a citizen of Rs653,200 by promising to arrange prize money and donations. Investigators said he allegedly impersonated a Customs officer and used fabricated communications linked to a marriage-related matter to persuade the complainant to transfer the money.

A mobile phone recovered from the suspect allegedly contained a fake WhatsApp account, conversations related to financial fraud and videos concerning methods of deceiving people while concealing identity. Sub-Inspector Atif Jan is conducting the investigation into the case.

In a separate operation in Faisalabad, NCCIA officials arrested two suspects, Sunil Amin and Usman Ali, allegedly involved in financial fraud carried out through bank accounts.

The agency recovered 17 mobile phones, 81 bank ATM cards and 195 SIM cards from the two suspects.

According to the NCCIA, the suspects allegedly impersonated representatives of various government and private institutions and used these identities to persuade citizens to transfer money.

Further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the alleged fraud and identify other individuals who may have been involved.