The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Circle Islamabad has arrested the ringleader of an organized group involved in electronic fraud, forgery, and scams targeting branchless banking retailers.
According to an FIA spokesperson, the suspect has been identified as Muhammad Tariq. He was involved in multiple fraud cases under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. The suspect, along with his accomplices, used deceptive tactics to defraud branchless banking retailers.
The modus operandi involved visiting retail shops, acquiring their mobile phones containing retailer SIM cards (CBA accounts), and swapping them with blocked SIMs while distracting the shopkeepers. The suspect would then transfer funds from the retailer's account to other accounts before cashing them out. In a recent case, he fraudulently transferred over PKR 177,000 from a shopkeeper's account.
During the raid, authorities recovered mobile phones and other incriminating evidence. The suspect has been taken into custody, and further investigations are underway to apprehend his accomplices.
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