In a major operation, Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime and Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has raided and shut down a large-scale illegal call center involved in running Ponzi schemes and investment frauds in Faisalabad. Authorities arrested 149 individuals, both Pakistani and foreign nationals, marking the largest number of online fraud suspects arrested simultaneously in Pakistan to date.
According to details provided by officials, NCCIA conducted this raid in coordination with a sensitive security institution at a call center located along Sangla Hill-Shahkot Road, Faisalabad. The fraudulent center was reportedly set up at the residence of Malik Tehseen Awan, the former chairman of the Board of Directors of Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO). The call center is accused of deceiving the public through various online investment scams and fraudulently obtaining substantial sums of money.
Of the 149 arrested individuals, 131 were men and 18 women, including 73 foreign nationals. Among the foreign suspects apprehended were eight Nigerian citizens (three men, five women), four from the Philippines (one man, three women), two Sri Lankans (one man, one woman), six Bangladeshi men, one Zimbabwean woman, two women from Myanmar, and 44 others whose nationalities have not yet been disclosed. Additionally, 78 Pakistani nationals—76 men and two women—were detained at the location.
Authorities have charged the suspects in seven separate criminal cases (FIR numbers 141-147), involving fraud, forgery, and deceptive investment schemes. Investigations into the arrested individuals are currently ongoing.
Sources confirm that Malik Tehseen Awan, the suspected mastermind behind the organized cyber fraud network, has been named as the primary accused in all seven FIRs. Law enforcement authorities are conducting further raids to secure his arrest. Furthermore, his name has been added to the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) to prevent him from fleeing overseas, solidifying efforts to apprehend him swiftly.
