Four held in raid on DHA call centre ‘involved in financial fraud’

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KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has raided a call centre in Defence Housing Authority and arrested four men for allegedly carrying out financial fraud activities.

NCCIA Additional Director Mohammed Tariq Nawaz told Dawn on Wednesday that a team conducted a raid in Phase-II Extension on Tuesday and arrested the four suspects — Mohammed Shah Bukhari, Uzair Shehzad, Rohit Kumar and Yougesh Rajesh.

He said the digital devices were also seized whose examination revealed the suspects’ involvement in the financial fraud activities.

“Spoofing software used in the commission of such crimes was also found along with data pertaining to financial institutions and banking information of foreign nationals,” the official said.

The held suspects told the NCCIA that all data related to the foreign nationals’ bank accounts had been provided by the owner of the call centre, Syed Abu Bakar, and his partner.

Mr Nawaz alleged the initial technical examination of the seized devices revealed that the held suspects were “involved in making fraudulent calls through spoofing diallers, impersonating themselves as representatives of foreign banks to carry out unauthorised and illegal transfers of funds”.

He claimed that the suspects were also involved in extracting personal information for their wrongful gain without the knowledge or consent of credit / debit cardholders.

Their agents obtained social security numbers, cell phone numbers, dates of birth and mother’s maiden names by posing themselves as bank representatives and sent the confidential details to merchants for unauthorised financial transactions.

The NCCIA had registered an FIR against the held suspects and others under relevant clauses of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and the Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2026

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