The Telecommunications Authority of Pakistan (PTA) and the Federal Research Agency (FIA) arrested eight people and confiscated more than 7,000 illegal SIM cards during a repression, according to a press release issued on Wednesday.
According to the statement, both agencies launched joint raids in fine, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Karachi, “confiscating thousands of illegal preactivated international sims.”
“In fine, five raids resulted in the confiscation of 7,064 Sims and the arrest of eight individuals,” said the statement. “In Lahore and Gujranwala, the authorities confiscated a total of 252 Sims, which led to the arrest of both store owners.”
Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi, 335 Sims of the United Kingdom were seized among other illegal letters in the raids. In Karachi, 10 Sims were confiscated and the owner of a store was arrested, said the statement.
“The PTA remains committed to combating illegal SIM sales and urges the public to cooperate … to guarantee a safe digital environment,” the statement concluded.
Last week, the FIA declared that illegal international sims, particularly those of the United Kingdom, are being widely used in Pakistan for serious crimes, including child pornography, kidnapping for rescue and online financial fraud.
Going to a press conference, the Additional Director of the Wing of Cyber Crime of the FIA, Waqaruddin Syed, said that the wing of the cyber crime launched, for the first time, an offensive against the unauthorized trade of illegal sims and up to 44 suspects Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Peshawar, Sukkur and Abbottabad.
He said that a total of 8,363 international Sims from the United Kingdom were recovered, adding that 21 cases were registered throughout the country.
