Remand of 149 granted in online fraud cases
Accused were produced before the court, handed over to police on two-day physical remand. PHOTO: FILE
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Wednesday presented the suspects arrested in connection with a call centre fraud in a court and obtained physical remand of 69 of them for investigation.
NCCIA officials had raided the residence of Malik Tehseen Awan in Sangla Hill and arrested 149 people, including foreign nationals, suspected of online fraud amounting to billions of rupees.
Seven cases were registered against the accused on behalf of the victims.
All the arrested suspects, including 18 women, were presented before Senior Civil Judge Malik Ashfaq.
The court handed over 69 of the suspects to the NCCIA on five-day physical remand, while 62 were sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand. The 18 women were also remanded in judicial custody for five days.
The court directed the investigation officer to complete the interrogation of the women suspects in the presence of a jail official and a female officer.
After the completion of the physical remand, the suspects will be presented in court on July 14, while those in judicial remand will be presented on July 23.
Meanwhile, the NCCIA has requested the inclusion of the name of former FESCO chairman Malik Tehseen in a list of those barred from travelling abroad. According to the agency, Awan is hiding to avoid arrest.
The suspects presented in the court included 71 foreign nationals.
NCCIA officials said the group had set up the call centre in the Sarli Wala area, from where they lured people into online investments through social media messages. The group primarily targeted individuals living abroad.
Based on intelligence reports, the NCCIA and other security agencies conducted a joint operation and registered seven cases.
The investigations and legal proceedings related to the cases are ongoing.