A gang of fraudsters, including a man impersonating a serving Pakistan Army officer, cheated an Islamabad resident of over PKR 20.6 million. Investigators traced the money through a web of bank accounts, exposing a cyber fraud network that exploited the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and Ehsaas welfare schemes to collect victims' biometric data. One suspect's mobile phone yielded records of 89 separate bank accounts.
Complainant Contacted by Fake Major
According to a case registered at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Islamabad, complainant Pervaiz Akhtar Butt received a WhatsApp call from a man identifying himself as “Major Zahid Khan” of the Pakistan Army. The caller claimed an inquiry had been ordered against Butt over alleged non-payment of taxes, and said he was acting on the directions of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR). Investigators confirmed the claim was fabricated.
Transactions and Money Trail
Over several calls, the scammer instructed Butt to deposit approximately PKR 20 million as “security money” into three bank accounts held by individuals in Badin and Muzaffargarh. Bank records showed three transactions: roughly PKR 7.6 million, PKR 4 million, and PKR 8.5 million, made to accounts of Aman Ullah, Muhammad Qasim, and Imtiaz Ali in December 2025. The funds were withdrawn via cheques and ATMs and moved into over two dozen accounts at banks including Faysal Bank and Meezan Bank.
Legal Action and Arrests
A case was registered against fourteen accused, including the three account holders and two unidentified persons, under Sections 3, 4, and 14 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, read with Sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 109, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The breakthrough came after CCTV footage from a bank led to the arrest of Muhammad Qasim, who had withdrawn nearly PKR 8 million for the gang and received a commission of PKR 100,000 to PKR 150,000. Qasim was arrested about six months ago and disclosed he was recruited by another individual to open a bank account and hand over signed cheques.
Wider Fraud Network
The investigation revealed a wider operation targeting communities in rural Sindh and Punjab. Gang members posing as BISP representatives in Sindh and Ehsaas Programme representatives in Punjab collected biometric data and photographs from residents under the pretext of welfare registration. This data was used to register mobile SIMs and linked bank accounts in victims' names without consent, which the gang used or resold with an active account for about PKR 5,000 per handset.
Suspect Linked to 89 Accounts
The scale of the network became evident after the arrest of Muhammad Nadeem on June 16, 2026. In a remand application, Sub-Inspector Babar Ali of NCCIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Centre stated that forensic examination of Nadeem’s mobile phone showed records linking him to 89 distinct bank accounts at various banks, far exceeding the one or two accounts typically held by an individual. The phone records were forwarded to the banks for verification.
Court Proceedings
The investigating officer sought ten additional days of physical remand to identify and arrest more co-accused. However, on June 20, 2026, Senior Civil Judge/Judicial Magistrate (Sec-30) Islamabad-West, Muhammad Abbas Shah, declined the request, noting the accused had already been in custody for a considerable time. The court ordered Nadeem shifted to judicial lockup, to be produced again on July 4, 2026. The investigation remains active, with roles of counterparties, users of mobile numbers, and other potential victims still under examination.
