DERA GHAZI KHAN: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing has arrested Muhammad Shariq, the ringleader of an inter-provincial gang involved in large-scale online financial fraud.

The gang is suspected of defrauding people of millions of rupees across provinces, utilising advanced spoofing technology to carry out its crimes.

Shariq was arrested in a targeted raid. He allegedly managed a network of hundreds of microfinance accounts, which he used to facilitate fraud operations.

Sources indicate that Shariq controlled and operated up to 40-50 microfinance accounts through cloned mobile applications, allowing him to handle large sums of illegal money effortlessly.

FIA officials said that Shariq’s gang has been active for the past three years, with daily fraudulent transactions totalling between Rs600,000 and Rs1 million. These amounts, deposited into accounts linked to the gang, were systematically withdrawn and distributed among other members.

In addition to spoofing technology, Shariq reportedly provided bank account numbers to various criminal groups, enabling further fraudulent activities on a larger scale.

GANG ACTIVITY: An armed gang on unregistered motorcycles is harassing students near academies in the city.

These gang members allegedly approach young students, displaying weapons to force them into friendships, often seizing phones and motorcycle keys.

On Monday night, police responded, resulting in one arrest and cases being registered against four absconding suspects.

Recently, five armed bikers outside an academy tried to harass students and began aerial firing. Local residents managed to catch two suspects, leading to the police registering a case and initiating an investigation.

City residents, parents, and locals appealed for the deployment of special branch personnel and patrol police outside schools and private academies.

They also praised the police response and urged academy management to implement foolproof security. Increased police patrols were also requested to bust nearby gang hideouts, which have been a recurring threat to students and law enforcement.

SUICIDE CASES: A resident of Shah Saddar Din died by suicide after ingesting wheat-preserving pills, reigniting calls for a ban on the sale and use of these poisonous substances.

Rescue 1122 received an emergency call reporting that a man had ingested wheat-preserving pills, a substance notorious for its high toxicity and frequent use in suicide cases in Wasaib, or south Punjab.

A Rescue 1122 motorbike unit and an ambulance arrived at the scene near the cattle market, Shah Saddar Din.

Rescue 1122 transported Abdul Ghaffar, 32, of Mauza Thaddi, Shah, to the nearby rural health centre, where doctors declared him dead.

Local doctors have highlighted the urgent need to restrict access to these toxic substances, citing a worrying increase in cases of self-poisoning in the area.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024