KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Wednesday raided an illegal call centre defrauding foreigners near Hotel Metropole and arrested 33 suspects, including owners, and seized many laptops and phones, among other equipment.

NCCIA Karachi chief Tariq Nawaz said that, acting on a tip-off, the agency raided an “illegal scam call centre at Shafi Court, Civil Lines, near Metropole Hotel.”

“The call centre was allegedly involved in obtaining and using personal data of U.S. citizens through unlawful means,” said the senior officer, adding that the operators posed as representatives/agents of various American banks and contacted US citizens to defraud them, including by unlawfully obtaining or charging amounts from their bank accounts and credit cards.

During the raid, 33 individuals were arrested, including the alleged owners of the call centre, Ali Jesani and Wajid Riaz.

A significant quantity of laptops, mobile phones, and other equipment allegedly used in the scam operations was also recovered, Mr Nawaz said, adding that a substantial amount of data relating to US citizens was also recovered from the seized laptops and mobile phones.

He said the held suspects had been operating the call centre for the last seven to eight years.

He urged the parents to keep strict watch on their children over such scam jobs, as registration of FIRs against them over fraudulent activities would not “only destroy their careers but they would also not be able to go abroad because of a criminal record.”

Suspect shot dead in ‘encounter’

A suspected extortionist was shot dead in an alleged encounter in Pak Colony on Wednesday.

Police identified the deceased as Nifaz-ul-Islam and said that he was involved in demanding protection money from a marble factory.

Upon refusal, he and his accomplice opened fire at the factory, they added.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2026