FIA cracks down against illegal UK SIMs, arrests 44

Islamabad: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has revealed that illegal international SIMs, especially UK SIMs, are being widely used in Pakistan for serious crimes including child pornography, kidnapping for ransom, and online financial fraud.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Additional Director General (DG) FIA (Cyber ​​Crime Wing) Waqaruddin Syed said that illegal international SIMs are being sold in the Pakistani market.

He stated that the FIA’s Cyber ​​Crime Wing has launched a crackdown against the unauthorized trade of these illegal SIMs for the first time and 44 suspects have been arrested from Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Sukkur, and Abbottabad.

He added that a total of 8,363 UK SIMs has been recovered from those involved in the purchase and sale of SIMs, while 21 cases have been registered across the country.

Waqaruddin Syed explained that UK SIMs are particularly popular in Pakistan due to their ease of availability and pre-activation.

He further said that these pre-activated SIMs can be easily ordered through social media platforms. They are also being used for crimes such as child pornography and financial fraud.