Karachi call centre raid: 9 suspects sent on remand, women and juveniles granted bail

Karachi: A judicial court has granted two-day physical remand of nine out of 273 suspects arrested during a raid on a call centre located on Shahrah-e-Faisal. The remaining suspects have been placed on judicial remand.

The court also ordered the release on bail of female employees and individuals under the age of 18 against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each.

Meanwhile, the investigating officer appeared before the court of Judicial Magistrate East, Gulraiz Memon, where the suspects were presented through video link.

The investigating officer submitted a notification issued by the Home Department, stating that the call centre had been declared a sub-jail and that all 273 arrested suspects were being detained at the premises.

The officer alleged that the suspects were involved in defrauding foreign nationals through an illegal call centre. He requested two-day physical remand of nine key suspects for further investigation, while seeking judicial remand of the remaining individuals.

The defence counsel informed the court that the arrested individuals included more than 70 minors and over 80 women.

The lawyer argued that the charges in the case were bailable and requested the release of female and underage suspects on bail.

After hearing the arguments, the court granted two-day physical remand of nine suspects to the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

It also ordered the release of female suspects and individuals under the age of 18 against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each. The remaining suspects were ordered to be sent to jail on judicial remand.