LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime Wing apprehended four suspects from Lahore, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad who were allegedly involved in phishing and providing registration facility for smuggled cellular devices. After the arrests, wing expanded the investigation to other cities of Punjab.
FIA told media that the racket was stealing data and sensitive information of tourists with the assistance provided by some staff members of immigration authorities. Then, once the data was obtained, it would be used to register smuggled phones. As per the investigation, the apprehended smugglers hail from different cities, which include Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, and Sargodha.
Arrested gang members have confessed about registering the phones illegally against stolen ID and passport information, FIA told media.
Investigation details that some employees from FIA immigration and customs were involved with this gang and helped them to steer past the institutional intricacies.
FIA Cybercrime Wing Deputy Director told local media that this illegal activity isn’t just limited to Lahore and Gujranwala, the gang has many members present and operating in other cities too.
Till date, more than 10,000 smartphones of various companies have been registered with the stolen data.
He further added, that after Eid, FIA is going to expand the investigation and more arrests will be made in this regard.
