The Telecommunications Authority of Pakistan (PTA) and the Federal Research Agency (FIA) made a raid in a private telecommunications franchise in Sahiwal and arrested two people involved in the illegal SIMS issuance, according to a press release issued Thursday.
At the beginning of the month, the PTA and the FIA had arrested eight people and confiscated more than 7,000 illegal SIM cards during a repression, according to a press release issued last week.
“The Zonal Office of PTA Lahore, in collaboration with the FIA cyber crime circle, made a successful incursion into a UFONE franchise in Arifwala, Sahiwal, found involved in the illegal emission of Sims,” the statement said.
“The FIA team confiscated the articles, stopping the owner of the franchise on the spot. Another individual was arrested in Bahawalnagar for supplying digital footprints. The case is under the further investigation of the FIA, and a FIR has been registered, ”the statement continued.
“During the raid, 650 digital paper fingerprints (6,500 impressions), 1,500 fingerprints (15,000 impressions), 12 thumbs sets/silicon finger, 105 active SIMs, three devices of the biometric verification system (BVS), a scanner and a laptop they recovered,” the statement developed.
“This repression is part of the continuous efforts of the PTA to avoid the misuse of the Multi-Finger Biometric Verification System (MBVS). The authority remains committed to eliminating Sims illegal issuance and guaranteeing a strict application against violations, “the PTA statement concluded.
At the beginning of the month, the FIA had declared that illegal international sims, particularly those of the United Kingdom, are being widely used in Pakistan for serious crimes, including child pornography, the kidnapping of rescue and financial fraud online.
Addressing a press conference, the additional general director of the FIA cyber crime wing, 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 of Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, 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.
