Illegal call centres accused of Rs300m embezzlement, Senate committee told

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, reviewed allegations of large-scale embezzlement linked to illegal call centres operating in Pakistan.

Officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) informed the committee that the case falls under the Anti-Corruption Wing and involves the alleged monthly embezzlement of Rs15 million.

According to the FIA, 13 suspects have been nominated in the FIR in connection with the case, which relates to illegal call centre operations.

The FIA further told the committee that the call centres are accused of misappropriating around Rs300 million. So far, Rs1.5 million has been recovered from a sub-inspector. Of the suspects, three remain untraceable, five are out on bail, and three are currently in custody.

FIA officials said further investigation could implicate individuals from other departments. They added that illegal call centres have been operating in the country for a long time. The committee was also informed that 271 FIA officers were penalised this year, accounting for 5.8 per cent of total FIA cases.

During the meeting, Senator Pervaiz Rashid said the issue of illegal call centres had persisted for years. He recalled that former interior minister Rehman Malik had previously warned about call centres being run covertly, including with the alleged involvement of government officials.

He questioned why Pakistan had been unable to curb such operations when other countries had taken action against them.

Responding to the concerns, FIA officials said the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which was previously part of the FIA, now operates as a separate entity. They said the case was being pursued as a federal anti-corruption matter.