LAHORE – The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Lahore Zone, has arrested 37 suspects during a raid on an illegal call centre in Johar Town allegedly involved in defrauding citizens of the United States and Canada through a fake mobile phone sales scheme.
The NCCIA seized 80 digital devices, including 40 laptops, 35 mobile phones and five CPUs, for forensic examination and collection of evidence.
According to NCCIA Lahore Zone Additional Director Atif Ameer, the raid was conducted at Plot No. 103, Block F, Johar Town Phase-I, on the basis of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), after approval from the competent authority and the issuance of a search warrant by the competent court.
The suspects were allegedly using online dial-up and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software to contact citizens in the US and Canada while posing as representatives of mobile service providers. They allegedly offered mobile phones for sale and obtained customers’ credit and debit card details, which were subsequently used for unauthorised financial transactions.
A preliminary examination of the seized devices revealed software and data relevant to the alleged fraud. All devices were taken into custody and sealed according to the prescribed procedure for forensic analysis.
NCCIA Lahore Zone Additional Director Atif Ameer said the call centre was reportedly owned by Hafiz Ali Ahmad, son of Shahbaz Ahmad, who was not present during the raid.
A case (FIR No. 241/2026) was registered on October 10 under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and the Pakistan Penal Code.
Sub-Inspector Mohsin Razaq has been assigned the investigation. NCCIA Lahore Zone Additional Director Atif Ameer said further investigation was under way to determine the individual roles of the suspects, assess the extent of the alleged fraud and analyse the recovered digital evidence.
