LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Saturday arrested seven suspects in separate raids in Lahore and Multan for their alleged involvement in visa-extension fraud, WhatsApp hacking and online scams.

According to the agency, the crackdown was launched on the directions of Punjab NCCIA Director Muhammad Ali Wasim against cybercriminals involved in defrauding citizens through different online methods.

In Lahore, the NCCIA arrested one Haider Ali for allegedly posing as a courier company representative to obtain one-time passwords (OTPs) from citizens and subsequently hacking their WhatsApp accounts. It said that digital evidence and transactions involving millions of rupees in fraudulent activities had been recovered from the suspect’s bank account.

In Multan, NCCIA arrested Imran Shahid for collecting millions of rupees from a citizen on the pretext of arranging a visa extension.

Five other suspects were arrested for allegedly operating fake social media accounts and deceiving people with marriage proposals and promises of expensive gifts. Mobile phones, transaction slips and other digital records were recovered from the suspects, the agency said.

The NCCIA said forensic examination of the seized digital material was underway and the scope of the investigation had been widened to determine whether the suspects were part of organised cybercrime networks.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2026