130 Malaysians detained in Pakistan cyber scam raid, police confirm

Pakistan authorities have detained 130 Malaysians in a raid on a suspected cyber scam centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

This was revealed by Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail, who said the police are in contact with their Pakistani counterparts to obtain further details about those detained, Harian Metro reported.

Khalid said Bukit Aman’s commercial crime investigation department has been instructed to follow up on the case, adding that Malaysian police officers might be sent to Pakistan to gather more information.

“So far, we have been informed that 130 Malaysians were detained. Some had valid visas while others had overstayed,” he was quoted as saying.

According to Khalid, police have yet to receive a complete list of those detained but have been informed that they were Malaysian passport holders from various ethnic backgrounds.

On Wednesday, Pakistani news portal ProPakistani reported that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency raided a call centre in Rawalpindi on suspicion of running scams targeting Malaysians.

The syndicate allegedly posed as bank customer service officers, informing victims of suspicious transactions in their accounts before transferring their calls to individuals impersonating Malaysian police officers.

Some suspects reportedly wore police uniforms and used office-like backgrounds during video calls to convince victims they were dealing with legitimate authorities.

Victims were pressured into transferring money after being threatened with money laundering charges or other legal action.

The proceeds were allegedly channelled through e-wallets before being converted into cryptocurrency.

The operation was believed to be run by a Malaysian based in Cambodia with the help of supervisors and call centre managers in Pakistan.