Five held in extortion, hundi scam

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has apprehended five suspects and lodged a complaint against nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to acquire personal information from bank staff, subsequently extorting money and conducting illegal hundi business.

Deputy Director of FIA, Rana Shabbir Ahmed, uncovered a scheme in which perpetrators were gathering customer information by making calls to various numbers and extracting bank account details over the phone.

The funds were then transferred into bank accounts established by their agents. Additionally, individuals engaged in hundi and Foreign Money Exchange operations were reported to be present at the Al Aziz Hotel on Samundari Road. Acting on this information, Sub-Inspector Syed Erum Raza Shah and his team conducted a raid, apprehending Zain Ibrahim from Sahiwal, Ali Azhar Hussain, Ahmed Hassan from Central Jail Quarter Sahiwal, and Ali Nawaz from Street 7, Bashir Colony, Sahiwal.

The search of their possessions resulted in the recovery of 25 different mobile phones, SIM cards, and checkbooks.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2023.