KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Karachi on Wednesday claimed to have carried out a major operation at Business Avenue on Sharea Faisal, busting an international scam call centre and arresting 27 suspects, including four Afghan nationals and three owners of the facility.

A spokesperson said in a statement that the suspects were involved in targeting foreign nationals by impersonating representatives of U.S. banks and debt settlement organisations.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspects posed as “authorised representatives of financial institutions and contacted foreign nationals through spoofed and fraudulent calls to obtain their personal and financial information.”

During the raid, NCCIA officials seized laptops, mobile phones, and other digital devices.

A preliminary technical examination found evidence of spoofing dialers and other fraudulent calling techniques being used at the premises.

Investigators found that the suspects used “prepared scripts to persuade foreign nationals to make unauthorised financial transfers.”

The data recovered during the operation included sensitive information belonging to foreign nationals, including Social Security numbers, mobile phone numbers, and dates of birth.

The suspects were also involved in obtaining banking information, including bank account details and credit and debit card data.

According to the NCCIA, the information collected through the scam operation was subsequently transferred to individuals linked with the call centre’s management. Those arrested include members of the call centre’s management, agents, and operational staff.

The NCCIA identified the owners of the call centre as Ali Siddiqui alias “Maddy,” Fawad Ahmed, and Farooq, stating that they had been involved in operating the illegal facility for a considerable period.

All 27 suspects, including the three owners and four Afghan nationals, have been nominated in the FIR.

The digital devices recovered during the operation were taken into custody under a seizure memo dated September 15, 2026, and have been submitted for forensic and technical examination.

“The NCCIA has also launched an investigation into the suspects’ financial network and money trail,” the statement said, adding that further inquiries are underway to determine the individual roles of those arrested and identify other persons connected with the network.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2026