FIA busts gang involved in illegally activating SIM cards

FAISALABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has busted a gang involved in illegally activating SIM cards by arresting the suspects including representatives of cellular companies, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The FIA spokesperson said that the representatives of cellular companies along with gang members have been arrested by the intel agency in Faisalabad for their alleged involvement in illegally activating SIM cards.

The cellular companies’ representatives had been arrested for allegedly providing SIM activation devices to the criminals. It emerged that the ‘six-member gang’ used to activate SIM cards through silicon thumb impressions collected from the forms of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

Read: Three nabbed for illegally using women fingerprints to issue SIM cards

The spokesperson added that more than 500 fake SIMs, hundreds of NADRA forms and thousands of silicon thumb impressions were recovered from their possession.

By using the illegal SIM cards, they deceived the citizens by offering prizes, whereas, a NADRA official provides documents and assistance to the criminals, the spokesperson added.

Earlier in April last year, a Multan gang had been busted by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime wing over the charges of stealing sensitive records of nationals from the government databases and using silicon thumbs for running illegal gateways and fund transfers.

The FIA officials had revealed that the fake thumb impressions were used for running illegal gateway exchange and transferring funds of the income support programme.