FIA busts gang of scammers

FBI had offered reward of $15,000 each on accused

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime Cell has busted a gang of alleged scammers on whom the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had offered a reward of up to $15,000 each for their alleged involvement in a bank robbery in New York in 2016.

“The FIA officials received information that someone was tampering with an ATM machine in Lahore,” an FIA official told The Express Tribune.

The investigation agency constituted a team comprising SHO Najeebullah Niazi, SIs Yasir Ramzan and Shafqat Ehsan, ASI Maqbool and HC Khurram Riaz which arrested accused Waqar Ghumman red-handed tampering with a bank’s ATM machine.

Ghumman’s arrest helped the FIA capture other suspects.

First the accused denied that he had partners in crime, but later admitted it.

Following the plan designed by the FIA to make other arrests, Ghumman made a phone call to his colleague Mohsin Zamir pretending that he was admitted to a hospital due to his deteriorating health and needed his help.

Zamir, first sent one Saleem for confirmation of Ghumman’s admission to the hospital.

As, Saleem entered the hospital, the FIA officials arrested him.

Then Saleem made the phone call to Zamir and gave him a green signal to come to the hospital to inquire after the health of Ghumman.

After a while, Zamir also reached the hospital where the FIA apprehended him.

Later, the officials visited the place where the accused used to commit fraudulent activities and took into possession Rs250,000, a pistol, 50 ATM cards and other equipment.

Talking to The Express Tribune, FIA Cybercrime Cell Director Abdur Rab termed the arrests a big achievement of the agency.

“No doubt there are complaints that amounts are deceivingly withdrawn through ATM machines. The FIA officials with their dint of efforts day and night succeeded to cope with that to a large extent,” he said.

He also confirmed that the FBI had offered a reward of up to $15,000 each on Ghumman and Zamir for information leading to their arrests for their alleged involvement in an armed bank robbery which occurred on January 8, 2016 in Tonawanda, New York.

Later, both the accused returned to Pakistan.