Cybercrime agency faces corruption shake-up

Two officers secure interim bail; others remain untraceable as probe intensifies

RAWALPINDI:

In a significant move concerning the extensive corruption scandal implicating personnel and officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in malfeasance linked to call centres, a total of nine officers, including two Additional Directors, have been removed from their operational postings and closed to the Agency's headquarters.

The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Anti-Corruption Circle in Islamabad has formally registered a First Information Report (FIR) against several NCCIA officials, including Additional Directors Aamir Nazir and Haider Abbas, concerning the misappropriation of millions of rupees through alleged corruption connected to illegal call centre operations. The criminal investigation into these charges is presently underway.

Following the direct authorisation of the newly appointed Director General of the NCCIA, Syed Khurram Ali, nine officials have been relieved of their zonal responsibilities. They have been placed under the disciplinary status of "Headquarters Closed," requiring them to report forthwith to the NCCIA Headquarters, pending a full investigation.

The affected officers who have been ordered to report to the Headquarters are: Additional Director (Peshawar Zone), Additional Director Haider Abbas (Quetta Zone), Deputy Director Sulaiman Awan (Rawalpindi Zone), Assistant Director Nadeem Ahmad (Rawalpindi Zone), Sub Inspector Saarim Ali Khan (Rawalpindi Zone), Sub Inspector Usman Basharat (Rawalpindi Zone), Sub Inspector Muhammad Bilal (Gujranwala), Sub Inspector Mian Irfan Javed (Abbottabad Zone), and Sub Inspector Zaheer Abbas Niazi (Abbottabad Zone).

Sources indicate that, parallel to the criminal investigation, a formal departmental inquiry and disciplinary proceedings have been launched against the aforementioned officers.