Faisalabad Special Court on Monday approved the bail of 18 foreign nationals arrested in a major online fraud case, ordering their release from Central Jail Faisalabad upon submission of surety bonds worth Rs200,000 each.
Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Ashfaq Malik granted bail to the accused.
The individuals are among the over 149 suspects arrested earlier this month by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), during a sweeping crackdown on online scams in Faisalabad.
The crackdown resulted in the registration of eight separate FIRs against more than 70 foreign nationals, including the prime accused.
On Monday, the main suspect, Malik Tahseen Awan, former chairman of the Board of Directors of Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), was produced in court along with 60 foreign men and women under tight security.
Judge Ashfaq Malik ordered Awan to appear again on July 31, while the foreign nationals were remanded to FIA's Cybercrime Cell and scheduled to reappear on August 11.
The high-profile arrests followed a joint raid conducted on July 8 by intelligence agencies and the FIA's Cyber Crime Wing.
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