Latest news with #TasheenAwan
The Star
11-07-2025
- The Star
Police arrest 149 in raid on large scam call centre
Police arrested 149 people – including 71 foreigners, mostly Chinese – in a raid on a scam call centre, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency said. 'During the raid, a large call centre was uncovered, which was involved in Ponzi schemes and investment fraud,' the agency said in a statement. 'Through this fraudulent network, the public was being deceived and vast sums of money were being illegally collected.' The agency said they were acting on a tip-off about the network, operating in the city of Faisalabad, a manufacturing centre. It said the raid was at the residence of Tasheen Awan, the son of the former chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority, a government agency. All those arrested were in custody, including 78 Pakistanis and 48 Chinese, as well as citizens from Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. About 18 of the total were women, it added. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Pakistan arrests 149, including 48 Chinese, in scam centre raid
The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people. (EPA Images pic) ISLAMABAD : Pakistan police arrested 149 people – including 71 foreigners, mostly Chinese – in a raid on a scam call centre, the national cyber crime investigation agency said today. 'During the raid, a large call centre was uncovered, which was involved in Ponzi schemes and investment fraud,' the agency said in a statement. 'Through this fraudulent network, the public was being deceived and vast sums of money were being illegally collected.' The agency said they were acting on a tip-off about the network, operating in the city of Faisalabad, a manufacturing centre in the east of the country. The agency told AFP that the raid was at the residence of Tasheen Awan, the former head of the city's power grid, who has not been arrested. All those arrested were in custody, including 78 Pakistanis and 48 Chinese, as well as citizens from Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Some 18 of the 149 were women, it added. A copy of the police report said victims would initially receive a small return on their first investments, before being persuaded to hand over larger sums of money. 'The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels,' it said. 'Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments.'
The Sun
10-07-2025
- The Sun
Pakistan police raid scam centre, arrest 149 including 48 Chinese
ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan have arrested 149 individuals, including 71 foreigners, in a major raid on a scam call centre operating in Faisalabad. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency confirmed that 48 of those detained were Chinese nationals, alongside citizens from Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar. The raid followed a tip-off about the fraudulent network, which allegedly deceived victims through Ponzi schemes and fake investment opportunities. 'Through this fraudulent network, the public was being deceived and vast sums of money were being illegally collected,' the agency stated. Authorities uncovered the operation at the residence of Tasheen Awan, former head of Faisalabad's power grid, though Awan himself was not arrested. Among those detained were 78 Pakistanis and 18 women. A police report revealed that victims were initially lured with small returns on investments before being pressured to deposit larger sums. 'The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels,' the report stated. 'Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments.' The crackdown highlights Pakistan's efforts to combat cybercrime and financial fraud, particularly schemes targeting unsuspecting individuals through social media platforms. - AFP
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First Post
10-07-2025
- First Post
Pakistan arrests 149 people, including several Chinese nationals, for online fraud and Ponzi schemes
The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels read more Authorities in Pakistan have arrested 149 people, including 71 foreign nationals, most of them Chinese, after raiding an illegal call centre allegedly involved in online investment fraud and Ponzi schemes, the country's National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency said Thursday (July 10). The raid took place in Faisalabad, a key manufacturing city in eastern Pakistan, following a tip-off about the network. The agency described the site as a large call centre used to deceive the public and collect substantial sums of money illegally. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'During the raid, a large call centre was uncovered, which was involved in Ponzi schemes and investment fraud,' the agency said in a statement. 'Through this fraudulent network, the public was being deceived and vast sums of money were being illegally collected.' Police said the operation was run out of the home of Tasheen Awan, the former head of Faisalabad's power grid. Awan has not yet been arrested. The suspects currently in custody include 78 Pakistanis and 71 foreigners, among them 48 Chinese citizens. Others hail from Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar. Eighteen of the arrested individuals are women. Modus operandi According to a copy of the police report, the fraud scheme involved initially offering victims small returns on minor investments. Once trust was gained, they were persuaded to invest larger sums through a network of encrypted messaging apps. 'The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels,' the report said. 'Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments.' Chinese cybercriminals all over the world The crackdown comes amid a rise in cybercrime operations across South Asia involving foreign nationals. In June, Sri Lanka deported 85 Chinese nationals after detaining them on suspicion of cybercrimes targeting banks. They were part of a group of around 230 arrested last October, with legal proceedings pending for the rest. Chinese authorities have acknowledged that an intensified crackdown on cybercrime at home may be driving some criminal operations to move overseas. In the past ten years, Chinese nationals have been named in hundreds of cybercrime cases globally– particularly in Southeast Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe– in offences ranging from telecom fraud to illegal online gambling. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Khaleej Times
10-07-2025
- Khaleej Times
Pakistan police raid scam centre, arrest 149, including 48 Chinese nationals
Pakistan police arrested 149 people — including 71 foreigners, mostly Chinese — in a raid on a scam call centre, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency said Thursday. "During the raid, a large call centre was uncovered, which was involved in Ponzi schemes and investment fraud," the agency said in a statement. "Through this fraudulent network, the public was being deceived and vast sums of money were being illegally collected." The agency said they were acting on a tip-off about the network, operating in the city of Faisalabad, a manufacturing centre in the east of the country. The agency told AFP that the raid was at the residence of Tasheen Awan, the former head of the city's power grid, who has not been arrested. All those arrested were in custody, including 78 Pakistanis and 48 Chinese, as well as citizens from Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Some 18 of the 149 were women, it added. A copy of the police report said victims would initially receive a small return on their first investments, before being persuaded to hand over larger sums of money. "The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels," it said. "Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments."
