Key NCCIA officers held in call centre scam

FIA arrests Deputy Director Salman Alvi & SI Sarim Ali after bail dismissal

RAWALPINDI:

The Federal Investigation Agency's Anti-Corruption Circle Islamabad has arrested National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Deputy Director Salman Awan Alvi and Sub-Inspector Sarim Ali in the Chinese call centre mega-corruption scandal. The key suspects were taken into custody outside the court after their pre-arrest bail was cancelled. Meanwhile, the bail of their alleged frontman, Mohiuddin, was also rejected due to his absence.

According to details, FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Islamabad arrested Deputy Director of the Anti-Blasphemy Unit, Salman Awan, and Sub-Inspector Sarim Ali immediately after the cancellation of their bail. The third accused, Tahir Mohiuddin, failed to appear before the Special Judge Central, leading to the dismissal of his pre-arrest bail.

It may be recalled that shocking revelations had surfaced in the Chinese call centre corruption scandal. FIA had already registered a case against two additional directors, several other officials, staff members, and a Chinese national. The investigation revealed that 15 illegal call centres in Rawalpindi were paying Rs15 million monthly in bribes. Additional Director Shehzad Haider's team allegedly collected this money through their frontman, Hassan Ameer. A total of Rs120 million was received between September 2024 and April 2025. Sub-Inspector Bilal allegedly fixed a new call centre's monthly payment at Rs800,000.

Similarly, a raid was conducted at a call centre in Islamabad's F-11 sector, which later turned into a negotiated deal. SHO Mian Irfan reportedly finalised that deal at Rs40 million. In May 2025, when Aamir Nazir took charge of the Rawalpindi office, Deputy Director Nadeem Khan and Sub-Inspector Sarim Ali were posted alongside him. Deputy Director of the Anti-Blasphemy Unit, Salman Awan, also joined the team. This group allegedly continued collecting Rs15 million monthly in bribes.

Sub-Inspector Sarim appointed his clerk, Mohiuddin, as his frontman. In another raid in Rawalpindi, 14 Chinese nationals were arrested. Sarim, through his frontman, contacted the wife of a Chinese citizen named Kelvin. She allegedly paid Rs8 million for her husband's release, while Rs12 million was reportedly taken for releasing the remaining 13 Chinese nationals. Sarim is also accused of torturing the husband of a woman named Areeba and sending her the video. The accused allegedly demanded an additional Rs1 million for completing legal formalities. A total of Rs21 million collected from this raid was distributed among the team members.

According to the investigation record, Sarim Ali received Rs1.7 million; Usman Basharat received Rs1.4 million; and Zaheer Abbas was given Rs1 million. Deputy Director Nadeem reportedly received Rs9.5 million from Usman Basharat's office, while Additional Director Aamir Nazir allegedly received Rs7 million. Nadeem kept Rs2.7 million for himself.