ISLAMABAD – A gang allegedly involved in selling sensitive data of senior Pakistani officials, bureaucrats and other high-ranking individuals abroad for money has been arrested in Rawalpindi, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) told a Senate committee.
The disclosure was made during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.
The committee was briefed on several issues, including the alleged sale of sensitive government officials’ data abroad, inappropriate and blasphemous content on social media, an alleged Rs172 billion fraud through call centres and financial scams involving illegal SIMs.
An additional director of the NCCIA told the committee that a gang had recently been apprehended in Rawalpindi for allegedly selling data of senior officials overseas in exchange for money.
The official said another group involved in selling sensitive information belonging to bureaucrats and individuals associated with key institutions had also been arrested.
During the meeting, Senator Afnanullah Khan said the committee had received evidence regarding blasphemous content and expressed concern over inappropriate material being produced during TikTok Live sessions.
The NCCIA official said the agency had been approaching the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in writing over such matters.
PTA Chairman said TikTok Live was officially banned in Pakistan, but the authority could not prevent its use when users accessed the platform through virtual private networks (VPNs).
Senator Kamran Murtaza said such content was being deliberately circulated in society.
The PTA chairman also informed the committee that some countries had imposed restrictions on social media use by children under 16.
He said he had met Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry regarding setting an age limit for children’s social media use. The committee was informed that around 500 social media-related complaints were being received in Pakistan every day.
Committee members called for stricter measures regarding internet access for children under 16.
The committee also recommended the development of a dedicated messaging super app for government officials and directed the PTA to begin work on the proposed application.
Rs172bn call-centre fraud
FIA officials briefed the committee on an alleged Rs172 billion fraud carried out through call centres, saying companies were registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) before being used for fraudulent activities.
Officials said both Chinese and Pakistani nationals were among those involved and that technical experts were required to investigate call-centre fraud cases.
NCCIA officials said proceeds from fraudulent activities were being transferred abroad through cryptocurrency.
They added that illegal call centres involved nationals from China, Vietnam, Myanmar and other countries. According to officials, these centres primarily targeted foreigners rather than Pakistani citizens.
The officials said foreign nationals controlled the command structure and held major shares in the call-centre companies, while Pakistani nationals were employed by them.
They added that authorities had recovered money from some call centres and returned payments to victims.
Fake SIMs used in financial fraud
The committee was also informed that fake SIM cards were being used in local financial scams.
Officials said that when authorities traced the registered owners of some fraudulent SIMs, they often found elderly women who were unaware that the numbers had been registered in their names.
A cooling-off period has been introduced for the issuance of SIM cards as part of efforts to curb fraud, officials said.
However, Minister for IT and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the cooling-off period was affecting digital transactions.
The committee also received a briefing on allegations of additional charges being collected from customers by Jazz.
PTA Chairman said the authority regulates telecom tariffs and that the average monthly amount paid by a consumer to a telecom operator in Pakistan is around Rs300, which he described as among the lowest in the region.
He said the PTA does not grant blanket approval for mobile packages but reviews individual packages offered by telecom companies and has introduced tariff regulations.
The minister said PTA’s control over tariffs would be reduced if the Competition Commission of Pakistan took decisions on telecom tariffs.
The committee subsequently formed a subcommittee, headed by Senator Afnanullah Khan, to examine the allegations concerning overcharging by Jazz.
