FIA claims to have arrested FBI's most-wanted cyber criminal in Karachi

Noor Aziz Uddin was arrested during a predawn raid conducted by FIA officials at his residence

KARACHI: Officials of the Cyber Crime Circle of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed on Saturday to have apprehended a most wanted suspect, Noor Aziz Uddin.

The accused was arrested during a pre-dawn raid conducted by FIA officials at his residence located at Federal B Area, Karachi.

Aziz Uddin’s two sons, Osama Noor and Omair Noor, his relative Faisal Aziz and his companion Arshad Farhan were also reportedly detained during the raid led by Cybercrime Circle deputy director Mir Mazhar Jabbar.

The suspects were later shifted to undisclosed locations for further investigation.

FIA officials claimed that the accused Noor Aziz Uddin was also wanted by the Federal Bureau Investigations (FBI) and his name was also placed on the FBI’s most wanted list.

According to the FBI’s most wanted list, Noor Aziz Uddin was accused of being involved in a  conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to gain unauthorised access to computers, wire fraud, unauthorised access to computers and identity theft.

The FBI also offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Noor Aziz Uddin, according to the agency’s website.

The website further stated that Noor Aziz Uddin is wanted for his alleged involvement in an international telecommunications scheme that defrauded unsuspecting individuals, companies, and government entities, to include large telecom companies, in both the United States and abroad.

Between November of 2008 and April of 2012, Noor Aziz Uddin allegedly compromised computer systems and conducted a scheme which ultimately defrauded victims of amounts in excess of $50 million.

The international scheme involved members of a criminal organisation that extended into Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Spain, Singapore, Italy, and Malaysia, among other nations.

On June 29, 2012, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Noor Aziz Uddin in the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, after he was indicted.