Four held in South Punjab over alleged leak of officials’ data to foreign agencies: NCCIA

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Friday said it had dismantled a network accused of illegally obtaining and transferring sensitive personal data of Pakistani government officers to foreign entities, arresting four suspects in South Punjab.

Speaking at a press conference, NCCIA Director General Syed Khurram Ali said the suspects were allegedly involved in acquiring and selling confidential records, including call detail records, CNIC information and passport data linked to key officials.

The arrested suspects were identified as Arshad Tariq, Arham Bari, Anam Sabir and Mohammad Rizwan. Ali said forensic examinations of the suspects’ mobile phones had been completed as part of the ongoing investigation.

He described the operation as a case of “organised espionage and cybercrime”, alleging that the information was being shared with foreign intelligence agencies.

According to the NCCIA chief, cases have been registered over the unlawful transfer of sensitive data outside Pakistan, while investigators are also reviewing official institutional email accounts to trace how the information was accessed.

Ali said investigations were underway to determine whether any government officials facilitated the breach from within state institutions.

The agency has also directed government departments to tighten data protection mechanisms and restrict unauthorised access to sensitive information, stressing that institutions bear responsibility for safeguarding official records.

During the media briefing, the NCCIA director general also disclosed that several individuals had recently been arrested over an online campaign advocating for Swat to become part of Afghanistan.

Warning against anti-state activity, he said action would continue against individuals involved in campaigns targeting the state.

“If the NCCIA does not take action against those who do not trust the state of Pakistan, then what should it do?” Ali remarked.

He added that the NCCIA currently has a nationwide workforce of 480 personnel and that efforts were underway to further strengthen the agency’s operational capacity.

The agency also highlighted recent enforcement operations, including last week’s raid on a fake call centre in Lahore, where seven suspects were arrested for allegedly running online investment and financial fraud schemes.

Earlier in May, NCCIA Punjab arrested 13 individuals in a crackdown related to alleged anti-state social media activity, while another suspect was detained in Lahore last month for allegedly posting anti-army and anti-state content online.