KARACHI - The Rangers technical team and the FIA cyber crime wing have arrested a most wanted accused involved in theft from bank accounts, sources in FIA said on Sunday.
The Rangers and the cyber crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested accused Mohammad Asif from the city’s Orangi Town for his involvement in bank heists with the help of Internet.
“The accused was hacking bank accounts, credit cards and debit cards,” a spokesperson of Sindh Rangers said. The agencies have also recovered the computer system under his use.
“The suspect during questioning disclosed that he has been an expert in the information technology and has expertise in hacking bank accounts and credit cards of different countries,” according to the statement.
The accused had started buying data from various call centres. He was purchasing the data of bank accounts in a price between 2,000 to 5,000 rupees, spokesperson said.
Highlighting the modus operandi of the accused, Rangers stated that he used to telephone from his call centre to customers that his/her account was hacked. Misguiding the customer, the accused used to convince his victim to generate one time password (OTP), rangers spokesperson said.
“After getting that OTP from the bank customer, he used to draw money from the bank,” according to the statement.
“Accused Asif was involved in crimes since 2012 and has fleeced hundreds of thousand rupees from his victims,” Rangers spokesperson said.
“The accused has also visited Malaysia for several times between year 2014 to 2016”. “He has been handed over to police for legal proceedings,” according to the statement.
Two of gang involved in looting citizens returning from airport arrested
Two of a gang involved in looting citizens returning from airport were arrested, claimed the police on Sunday.
According to spokesperson for Karachi police, a white car, used by the accused, for mugging citizens returning from airport was also seized from their possession by district central police.
Arrested identified as Kamran alias Aman and Jasim were habitual criminals, confessed their involvement in dozens of such robberies along with their other accomplices. Their white car had become a symbol of fear for citizens. Police had also successfully gathered CCTV footage of various such robberies committed by the arrested suspects. A brother of accused Kamran had been killed in an encounter with police while his other brother was already in prison. Accused Jasim’s brother was in Adiala jail.
Raids were being conducted to nab their other accomplices. Arms recovered from their possession had been sent for forensics while further investigations were underway.