Naqvi vows to strengthen NCCIA as cybercrime cases mount in Punjab

Says govt to strengthen agency through additional personnel, resources, offices and dedicated police stations

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday pledged to strengthen the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), revealing that it had only 61 personnel across Punjab, a province with a population of around 140 million, as investigators struggled with a growing backlog of cases involving online fraud, harassment and blackmail.

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Naqvi said he would raise the agency’s staffing and resource shortages with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, adding that the government was working to improve its capacity to respond to complaints and investigate cybercrime.

“An investigating officer has 3,000 to 4,000 cases. How can they possibly work?” he asked, pointing out that investigators had to attend court hearings, hear complainants, prepare challans and conduct investigations. “If this is the situation in Lahore, the situation in Multan and other areas is much worse,” he remarked, adding that he would take up the issue with the prime minister in the coming days.

The government planned to strengthen the agency by increasing its personnel and resources, opening more offices and establishing dedicated police stations. Plans were also being developed to set up NCCIA police stations across the country, with the arrangements expected to be finalised within 10 to 15 days, he added.

Naqvi stressed that some complaints required an immediate response, particularly cases involving the online harassment and blackmail of women and girls. “There are some sensitive cases in which you cannot wait months, weeks or even days. You have to respond within hours,” he said.

The minister recounted meeting several women who had attempted suicide after facing harassment, describing their experiences as a stark reminder of the urgency of improving the agency’s response.

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He also highlighted delays arising from existing legal procedures.

Under the current law, the NCCIA was required to issue three notices before registering a first information report (FIR), a requirement that could delay action in sensitive cases. “If a girl is facing harassment, and there have been cases in which girls have attempted suicide, we have to respond differently in such cases,” he emphasised.

He urged women and girls to exercise caution when sharing personal photographs and videos online, warning that offenders could use such material to blackmail victims. “I would request mothers, sisters and daughters not to share any personal photographs with anyone,” he said, cautioning that doing so could leave them vulnerable to exploitation.

According to Naqvi, offenders often obtained photographs or videos under false pretences before threatening victims and exploiting them. The government would step up public awareness campaigns to help people recognise such risks and report abuse.

He also stressed the importance of awareness in tackling financial fraud, with scammers impersonating relatives or pretending to be ill to persuade people to transfer money. “Some people ask for money by pretending to be a relative, while others pretend to be ill and ask for money,” he explained.

The amounts involved ranged from Rs10,000 to millions of rupees, he added, pledging that the authorities would work to prevent such fraud and help victims recover their money. “The most important thing is to run awareness campaigns for the public so that these cases can be reduced,” he said.

He further urged people to protect their passwords and other sensitive information, warning that sharing passwords could expose them to financial losses and other forms of online crime.

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Turning to enforcement, Naqvi announced that around 600 people had been arrested during operations against call centres over the preceding 10 to 12 days. He praised the NCCIA for conducting operations despite its limited staffing, stressing that its personnel needed greater institutional support to handle the scale of cybercrime complaints.

The government would also work to improve coordination with banks, particularly in cases involving fraudulent transfers. He argued that the NCCIA needed stronger powers and mechanisms to identify accounts receiving money obtained through fraud and freeze them promptly to prevent further losses.

Some powers available to the Federal Investigation Agency, including those relating to bank accounts, were not available to the NCCIA, he added.

The minister also referred to the arrest of a government employee in a harassment-related case, maintaining that the authorities should proceed if the allegations were established. “There is no exemption for a government employee in a harassment case. If it is proven, there should be no leniency, regardless of who the person is,” he said.

He added that the authorities were working to address fake social media accounts and other forms of online abuse through coordination with relevant agencies.

Naqvi also highlighted Pakistan’s cooperation with other countries to investigate cybercrime and apprehend suspects operating across borders. “Every day, discussions are under way with embassies and police liaison officers,” he said, explaining that Pakistan was working with foreign counterparts to arrest suspects involved in cross-border offences.

The cooperation worked both ways, with Pakistani authorities helping foreign partners apprehend suspects while seeking assistance in cases involving offenders operating abroad.

He concluded that the government would continue to strengthen the NCCIA’s staffing, resources and operational capacity while expanding public awareness campaigns to curb online fraud, harassment and blackmail.