Gang Selling Sensitive Data of Pakistani Officials Abroad Arrested: NCCIA

ISLAMABAD: A gang involved in allegedly selling sensitive data of senior Pakistani government officials, bureaucrats and personalities associated with key institutions to buyers in Pakistan and abroad has been arrested in Rawalpindi, officials told a Senate committee.

The disclosure was made during a briefing before the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunications, which discussed the alleged sale of sensitive government officials’ data abroad, inappropriate and blasphemous content on social media, an alleged Rs172 billion fraud through call centres, and financial scams involving fake SIM cards.

The meeting, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, considered the agenda concerning the alleged sale of sensitive data of Pakistani officials to foreign buyers.

An Additional Director of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) told the committee that a gang had recently been apprehended in Rawalpindi for allegedly selling data of senior officials for money. He said another group involved in selling sensitive information belonging to bureaucrats and personalities from important institutions had also been arrested.

During the meeting, Senator Afnanullah Khan said evidence had been received regarding blasphemous material and expressed concern over what he described as inappropriate and dangerous activities on TikTok Live.

The NCCIA official said the agency formally approached the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) regarding such content.

PTA Chairman told the committee that TikTok Live was officially banned in Pakistan, but authorities had limited ability to prevent its use through virtual private networks (VPNs).

Senator Kamran Murtaza said such material was allegedly being deliberately spread in society.

Calls for Restrictions on Social Media Use by Children

The PTA chairman said some countries had imposed restrictions on social media use by children under the age of 16.

He said he had also met Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry regarding setting an age limit for children’s social media use. According to him, around 500 social-media-related complaints were being received in Pakistan every day.

Committee members called for stricter controls on internet and social media access for children under 16.

The committee also recommended the development of a dedicated “super app” for messaging among government officials and directed the PTA to begin work on the proposed application.

Rs172 Billion Call-Centre Fraud

FIA officials briefed the committee on an alleged Rs172 billion fraud carried out through call centres.

Officials said fraudulent activities were allegedly conducted after registering companies with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). Chinese and Pakistani nationals were reportedly among those involved.

NCCIA officials said technical experts were required to investigate call-centre-related fraud and that the agency had the necessary technical expertise.

They further said proceeds from the alleged fraud were being transferred abroad through cryptocurrency.

According to the officials, Chinese, Vietnamese, Myanmar and other foreign nationals were involved in illegal call centres. They said these centres were allegedly involved in defrauding foreigners rather than Pakistani citizens, while foreign nationals controlled the operations and held major shares in the companies, with Pakistanis largely employed as workers.

Officials added that authorities had recovered funds from some call centres and returned payments to victims.

Fake SIMs Used in Financial Fraud

Officials said fake SIM cards were also being used in domestic financial fraud, with scammers using numbers registered in other people’s names.

They said that in some cases, investigations into SIM ownership led to elderly women who were unaware that SIM cards had been registered in their names.

A cooling-off period has been introduced for the issuance of SIM cards to help prevent fraud, officials said. However, Minister for IT and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the measure was affecting digital transactions.

PTA Briefing on Jazz Overcharging

The committee was also briefed on allegations that Jazz had charged customers additional amounts.

PTA Chairman said the authority regulated telecom tariffs and that a telecom company in Pakistan charged an average of around Rs300 per customer per month, which he described as among the lowest rates in the region.

He said the PTA did not give blanket approval to mobile packages but examined individual packages offered by telecom companies and had introduced tariff regulations.

Shaza Fatima said that if the Competition Commission decided matters relating to tariffs, the PTA’s control over the sector would be reduced.

The committee subsequently formed a subcommittee, headed by Senator Afnanullah, to examine the allegations of overcharging by Jazz.