LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore claimed on Wednesday to have arrested three members of an organised gang impersonating government officials, threatening citizens with blocking their bank accounts and extorting money through fraudulent claims.

According to the NCCIA, the arrested suspects would contact citizens posing as officials of various government institutions. They informed the citizens that suspicious transactions had been detected in their bank accounts and threatened that their accounts could be blocked or frozen. The suspects would then demand money, claiming that payment was necessary to prevent the account from being blocked or to resolve the alleged financial issue.

It said the gang used this method to obtain Rs15 million from a woman. Following the complaint, NCCIA Lahore launched an investigation and arrested Muhammad Arif, Muhammad Younis Sajid and Muhammad Nadeem.

NCCIA claimed that preliminary analysis of the devices recovered from the suspects led investigators to identify more than 12 fake accounts, allegedly being used in connection with fraudulent financial activities.

“Investigators are now examining the account details, transaction records and individuals linked to these accounts to determine the wider scope of the network,” it said.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2026