NCCIA | Pakistan

LAHORE: A judicial magistrate at a district court on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) while hearing a bail petition of a Canadian national who was arrested in a cybercrime case. Hamza Ahmed Khan, who was pursuing doctoral research, had reportedly gone missing last week, leading to the registration of a first information report. He turned up in NCCIA’s custody on Monday and was sent to jail on judicial remand. Subsequently, he filed for post-arrest bail. On Wednesday, Advocate Asad Jamal appeared before the magistrate on behalf of Khan. During the hearing, the magistrate directed the NCCIA’s investigating officer to submit a record of the case on Thursday. In his petition, the applicant alleged that he was abducted on the night between Feb 18 and 19, while travelling in a cab in Lahore. The petitioner claimed that the first information report (FIR) against him by the FIA’s cyber crime wing was registered a day later on Feb 21, with “malafide intentions” to conc...

LAHORE: A Canadian national pursuing doctoral research, who went missing last week, has turned up in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The agency on Monday produced Hamza Ahmad Khan before a magistrate, who sent him to jail for 14 days on judicial remand. On Sunday, police registered a case on kidnapping charges on the complaint of his friend. According to the first information report, Hamza went missing in the early hours of Feb 19 after leaving his residence in DHA Phase 10, according to the first information report (FIR) registered at the Defence-A police station. On Monday, it emerged that Hamza was in NCCIA custody for allegedly making anti-state posts on social media platforms X and Instagram. In the FIR registered against him by the NCCIA, the cybercrime agency said that during routine cyber patrols, accounts associated with Hamza were actively “disseminating misinformation and disinformation targeting the state institutions”. The FIR, a copy of which is available wi...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued notices to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on appeals filed by Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, against their conviction in the controversial tweets case. Justice Muhammad Asif, who heard the appeals, also issued notices on the couple’s applications seeking suspension of their sentence and called for a response from the agency. The IHC then adjourned further proceedings, observing that a date for the next hearing would be fixed. On January 24, Imaan and Hadi were handed a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electr­onic Crimes Act (Peca) by a sessions court in Islamabad, sparking outrage among rights groups, opposition parties, and other segments of society. The lawyer duo was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment under Peca’s Section 10 (cyberterrorism), five years’ jail under Section 9 (glorification of an offence) and two years in prison under Section 26-A (false and...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has warned that a single wrong click or careless post on social media could land citizens in jail.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has issued a New Year alert, warning the public to remain vigilant against online scams and fraudulent activities.

KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has busted an “international cartel” involved in cyber fraud amounting to $60 million, arresting 15 foreign nationals and recovering 10,000 international SIMs during a raid in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Sindh home minister revealed on Thursday. Addressing a press conference in Karachi along with NCCIA Additional Director Tariq Nawaz, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar shared the details of the investigations, saying the held scammers were “operating online investment scam, where criminals build trust over weeks/months via social media platforms by tricking the victims into investment in cryptocurrency, forex with promise of large profit returns”. “The victims were lured into investment by creating a login on fake investment platforms (which the victims considered as legitimate due to the fake conversation and activity in telegraph groups) which were controlled and managed by these scammers where the victims were made to belie...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), in a joint raid along with intelligence and law enforcement agencies, arrested several foreign nationals allegedly running a fraudulent Ponzi scheme network in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area on Thursday, a statement from the agency said. A Ponzi scheme is a form of fraud in which belief in the success of a non-existent enterprise is fostered by the payment of quick returns to the first investors from money invested by later investors. Per the statement, the operation was conducted in DHA Phase 1 and Phase 6, where several foreign nationals were taken into custody during the action. “Important and sensitive data was recovered from the suspects, which is now being examined as part of the investigation,” the statement said. Preliminary inquiries suggest the detained individuals were allegedly running a “well-organised network through a Ponzi scheme,” the statement said, adding that the fraud had affected thousands of people, causing them “ser...

With the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) moving slowly in the probe against nine arrested officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), who are allegedly involved in extracting money from a known YouTuber and call centres, three of them have resigned from their posts. According to an NCCIA notification, three officers — Deputy Director Sarfaraz Chaudhry, Assistant Director Muhammad Usman, and Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz — resigned from their posts, and their resignations were accepted by the Interior Ministry. “This is to inform that the following officers are relieved from the NCCIA from the date of approval of their resignations — Nov 20.” Another official, Assistant Director Asma Majeed, also resigned from her post. A mega scam involving the misuse of authority and acceptance of bribes from different suspects rocked the NCCIA in October. Not only were nine officials of the NCCIA booked in Lahore, but also 12 in Islamabad, for allegedly taking large sums of money from individuals...

YouTuber Saadur Rehman, also known as Ducky Bhai, uploaded a nearly hour-long video to his YouTube channel on Sunday, in which he made allegations of physical and verbal abuse while in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). Rehman was arrested in August at Lahore Airport by the NCCIA for allegedly promoting online gambling and betting applications through his platform. He was granted bail in the case by the Lahore High Court on November 25, but was not released from official custody. Meanwhile, in September, NCCIA Lahore Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry was removed from his post, reportedly over different controversies, including allegedly beating Rehman. In the video uploaded on Sunday, Rehman outlined the timeline of events from his arrest and being remanded into the NCCIA’s custody. He described meeting Chaudhry, alleging that he was verbally and physically abusive. “He stood up from his chair and verbally abused me,” Rehman alleged. “He asked me, ’Where does your money c...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that the information ministry, along with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), would be taking action “on a massive scale” against fake news. The minister said this during a press conference in Lahore, where he said he believed that “since the past few days, past few weeks, 90 per cent news on social media is fake”. Saying so, Naqvi also clarified that he believed in the freedom of expression and liberty to criticise. He also highlighted that in case false news was reported by a platform in the mainstream media, a complaint could be registered with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. Similarly, he continued, a reporter associated with a news outlet would be answerable to their director news or the bureau chief in such a scenario. “But, on social media one can post any photo, make news as per their wish and post it,” he said, adding that he had spoken to the information minister today morning, and “we will not allow this”. Naqvi ad...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has carried out a sweeping administrative overhaul, removing several senior and mid-level officers from their posts following a series of corruption allegations and internal performance reviews.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested a suspect accused of selling the personal data of Pakistani citizens online.

A Lahore judicial magistrate on Monday awarded three days of physical remand to seven National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) officials and a private individual in a case registered against them for allegedly misusing their authority, extorting money, and taking bribes. Last week, a Lahore court granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a three-day physical remand of the officials, while a judicial magistrate extended their physical remand for three more days on Friday. According to a copy of the remand order available with Dawn.com, while the initial allegation involved a bribe of Rs9 million, the amount recovered by the investigating officer was Rs42.5m. “After hearing argument and perusal of record, it transpires that complainant … moved [an] application that she paid [Rs9m] illegal gratification to Shoaib Riaz AD/FIA, who was [the] investigation officer (IO) in [the] case of her husband,” the order read. “Complainant also alleged that she got knowledge that a corruption network in NCCIA is ...

A court has issued a written order extending the physical remand of six officers from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), who were arrested on charges of bribery.

A Lahore court on Friday extended the physical remand of six National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) officials by another three days in a case pertaining to the alleged misuse of authority, extortion of money, and acceptance of bribes. The first information report (FIR) of the case was registered with the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore on the complaint of Aroob Jatoi, the wife of YouTuber Saadur Rehman alias Ducky Bhai, who has been arrested in a case pertaining to promoting gambling apps on social media. The FIR was registered against a total of nine individuals, including eight NCCIA officials. Among them, the six remanded in the FIA custody were said to be missing for several days before the FIA announced their arrest on Monday. Lahore NCCIA’s Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry, Lahore NCCIA Deputy Director (acting in-charge) Zawar Ahmad, Lahore NCCIA Sub-Inspector Ali Raza, Lahore NCCIA Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, Lahore NCCIA Sub-Inspector Yasir Ramzan and Lahore NCCIA Assistant Direct...

ISLAMABAD - The latest scandal engulfing the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has exposed the entrenched institutional corruption, poor oversight and a lack of resolve of a state institution to tackle the growing threat of online crime.

The federal government replaced the director general of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Tuesday amid an ongoing corruption scandal concerning its employees and other issues. The federal government established the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to probe illegal activities on social med­ia. The NCCIA, operating under the Interior Divi­sion, has a key role in combating cybercrime in Pakistan. Notifications issued from the Cabinet Secretariat’s Establishment Division today said Syed Khurram Ali, a BS-21 officer of the police service, was appointed as the new NCCIA DG with immediate effect, replacing Waqaruddin Syed, who was directed to report to the division immediately. The latter was appointed to the role in April. Earlier today, a Lahore court granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a three-day physical remand of six NCCIA officials in a case registered against them for allegedly misusing their authority, extorting money and taking bribes. The first informatio...

A Lahore court on Tuesday granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a three-day physical remand of six National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) officials in a case registered against them for allegedly misusing their authority, extorting money and taking bribes. The first information report (FIR) of the case has been registered with the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore on the complaint of Aroob Jatoi, the wife of YouTuber Saadur Rehman alias Ducky Bhai, who has been arrested in a case pertaining to promoting gambling apps on social media. The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was registered a total of nine individuals, including eight NCCIA officials, at 7:35pm yesterday. Among them, the six remanded in the FIA custody were said to be missing for several days before the FIA announced their arrest yesterday. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of another official nominated in the case — Muhammad Usman, the NCCIA deputy director of operations in Islamabad — have also been unknown for severa...

The FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore has registered a case against nine officers of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), including six who had been missing for several days, for allegedly misusing their authority and accepting bribes.

The Federal Investigation Agency has arrested six personnel of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on allegations of misusing their authority and taking bribes, their lawyer said on Monday. Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq told Dawn.com the six were “taken into FIA custody and arrested on charges of misuse of authority and bribery”. He said they would be produced in a district court on Tuesday and he would represent them. Ashfaq said the six were Additional Director Chaudhry Sarfraz, In-charge Zawar, Sub-Inspector Ali Raza, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, Yasir Gujjar and Mujtaba Kamran. Chaudhry was reportedly removed over different controversies last month and asked to report to the NCCIA headquarters, Islamabad. He said he was transferred to the headquarters and he had sought a six-month leave. The three controversies were about laying hands on a number of YouTubers/social media influencers, including Saadur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai and Rajab Butt, for their alleged involvement in u...