LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Tuesday arrested six suspects in separate cases in Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan for cyber harassment, blackmail and online threats.

Several mobile phones and WhatsApp accounts allegedly linked to the suspects were recovered during the operations. Digital evidence found on the devices has been secured for further investigation and forensic examination.

In Lahore, the NCCIA arrested one Iftikhar on a complaint filed by his former wife. He was accused of harassing and threatening his ex and using her private pictures and videos to blackmail her. During the inquiry, threatening messages and objectionable material were found on his WhatsApp. A mobile phone was also recovered from the suspect and sent for forensic analysis.

In Faisalabad, the agency arrested Asif and Irfan in separate cases on charges of harassing, threatening and blackmailing complainants through WhatsApp and social media using objectionable data.

In Multan, the NCCIA arrested Shoaib, Muhammad Salar and Ahmed Ali in three cases. The suspects are being investigated for allegedly harassing women through electronic means. Mobile phones were taken into custody in all three cases, with forensic examination of the digital evidence under way.

Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Multan Zone arrested 18 suspects, including alleged human traffickers and proclaimed offenders, in separate operations in south Punjab as well as Gujranwala region.

The FIA circle of Dera Ghazi Khan arrested Atta Muhammad of Muzaffargarh for taking Rs800,000 from complainant Muhammad Nawaz for sending him to Saudi Arabia on an employment visa. Nazir Ahmed, a proclaimed offender nominated in a similar case, was arrested from the Jatoi area.

On Sept 14, the FIA Bahawalpur arrested Muhammad Waqas, a resident of Bahawalpur, in three human-trafficking cases. Waqas allegedly took Rs341,000 and Rs415,000 from two complainants for arranging an employment visa for Saudi Arabia but failed to do so. In another case, he took Rs272,000 from a complainant on the promise of sending him to the UAE on an employment visa but did not do so. Yet another Bahawalpur resident, Akhtar Ali, was arrested for receiving Rs1m from a complainant for sending him to Bahrain on an employment visa but failed to fulfil the commitment.

In a raid, the FIA apprehended Muhammad Fayyaz, owner of Fayyaz Jewellers, Railway Road, Hasilpur, over alleged illegal currency exchange.

The agency recovered 3,110 Saudi riyals, Rs64,110 in Pakistani currency, a cheque book of a foreign-currency account, receipt books, stamps, miscellaneous receipts and a mobile phone from the shop. In Gujranwala region, the FIA arrested at least 13 suspects involved in human trafficking and financial scams on the pretext of sending people abroad.

A spokesman for Gujranwala FIA zone said some proclaimed offenders were also among the arrested suspects who had received huge amounts from the citizens to send them to different European countries like Bosnia, Spain, Italy as well as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkiye.

One of the suspects had received Rs15.4m from a complainant and never returned the money.

The FIA took action on the financial scam of Rs28.9m whereas the arrests had been made from Gujranwala, Sialkot and Gujrat circles.

FIA Gujranwala zone director Muhammad Bin Ashraf said the action against the human trafficking networks and those involved in looting the citizens in the name of providing employment abroad had been accelerated and would continue in the region.

(Our Gujrat correspondent also contributed to this report)

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2026