NCCIA | Pakistan

LAHORE - The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Thursday issued fresh notices to actor Momina Iqbal and PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar after new digital evidence emerged in a case involving allegations of harassment and threats.

ISLAMABAD: National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) recovered the biometric data of around 600,000 people during raids conducted in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the PTA chairman told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on Thursday.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has announced 351 job vacancies across various departments, offering positions ranging from investigation and technical roles to administrative and driving posts.

ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested 114 foreign nationals, including 111 Chinese and three Vietnamese citizens, for allegedly running a cyber-romance and sextortion network from a registered IT business in the capital. According to details released by the NCCIA’s media wing, the accused allegedly used electronic means and online platforms to target individuals in different countries. The network was allegedly involved in luring foreign nationals into online sexual conversations, including video chats and explicit video calls, and subsequently exploiting the material for criminal and financial purposes. Officials said the investigation also revealed indicators linking the accused to organised cybercrime activities, including cyber-romance-related financial fraud. NCCIA Islamabad has registered the case under Sections 14 and 21 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, read with Sections 419, 420, 34 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Section 14 of ...

KARACHI: Investigators probing the murder case of young businessman Mir Raza Ali have sought the technical expertise of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to unlock the deceased’s digital footprint, it emerged on Wednesday. IBA graduate and owner of the eatery Wafflix Mir Raza had gone missing on July 28 and his bullet-riddled body was found a day later in bushes near Shahi Qila Ground in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. A seven-member team, headed by DIG Amir Farooqui, is currently investigating the case. Sources said they are trying to retrieve Raza’s “digital records / WhatsApp account details” through the NCCIA to determine whether there is anything suspicious. Police will not rest until killers are exposed, IGP tells Abad They believe that unlocking his digital footprint could help untangle the case. The sources said that the investigation team also recorded the statement of the online cab driver who dropped Mir Raza in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on July 28. Abad expresses concern over Raza’s murder, extorti...

KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has summoned four Karachi residents on a complaint filed by Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon over “false and malicious content on social media against him and his son” in connection with the Mir Raza Ali murder case. The NCCIA’s notices, dated August 10 and seen by Dawn, stated that the agency was “conducting an inquiry into the subject matter concerning allegations of defamation through electronic/digital means, which was initiated on the basis of a complaint submitted by Naqvi Law Associates on behalf of Sharjeel Inam Memon, son of Inamul Haque Memon”. “The complaint pertains to the alleged dissemination of defamatory and fabricated content through digital platforms, which […] has caused damage to his reputation and has attracted provisions of applicable cybercrime laws,” the notices said. All four individuals have been directed to appear in person at the NCCIA Karachi office on Aug 13 at 11:30am. The notices said the respondents were r...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday restrained the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) from harassing vlogger and journalist Asad Toor during the course of its inquiry. The agency had issued a notice to Toor on July 29 for an inquiry into “alleged dissemination, transmission and/or public exhibition of false/fake information” by him. He was directed to appear before the NCCIA Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Islamabad at 11am on July 31. Toor had challenged the summons in the IHC the following day, arguing that the NCCIA had failed to fulfil the legal requirements while issuing the notice and had not provided details of the allegations against him. The court had subsequently directed the agency to provide Toor with details of the allegations against him; his counsel argued that the agency had not specified the accusations, making it impossible for him to respond to the inquiry. On Thursday, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the petition. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to provide vlogger and journalist Asad Toor with details of the allegations against him in connection with a summons issued by the agency. The agency had issued a notice to Toor on Wednesday for an inquiry into “alleged dissemination, transmission and/or public exhibition of false/fake information” by him. He was directed to appear before the NCCIA Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Islamabad at 11am on July 31. Toor challenged the summons in the IHC on Thursday, arguing that the NCCIA had failed to fulfil the legal requirements while issuing the notice and did not provide details of the allegations levelled against him. On Friday, Justice Mohammad Azam Khan took up Toor’s petition. Advocate Attaullah Kundi appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioner. During the hearing, the court asked the petitioner’s counsel, “Why don’t you appear before the NCCIA? Don’t you have a defence?” Kundi replie...

ISLAMABAD: Vlogger and journalist Asad Ali Toor on Thursday challenged the notice issued by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). Yesterday, the NCCIA issued a notice to Toor for an inquiry into “alleged dissemination, transmission and/or public exhibition of false/fake information” by him. The journalist was directed to appear before the NCCIA Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Islamabad at 11am on July 31. The petition, filed through Advocate Attaullah Kundi, names the interior secretary, the NCCIA and other relevant authorities as respondents. The petition requested the court to declare the notice issued by the NCCIA null and void and added that Toor reports on various matters, including judicial affairs. “It has been contended that the NCCIA failed to fulfil the legal requirements while issuing the notice and did not provide details of the allegations against him,” it stated. According to the petition, the NCCIA had summoned Toor for July 31. The petitioner f...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Wednesday issued a summons notice to journalist Asad Ali Toor for an inquiry into alleged dissemination of false information by him. The notice, available with Dawn, named the state as the complainant against Toor for “alleged dissemination, transmission and/or public exhibition of false/fake information”. It was issued on a complaint filed under Section 26A (punishment for false and fake information) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (Peca). The journalist was directed to appear before the NCCIA Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Islamabad at 11am on July 31. The NCCIA warned that failure to appear “without lawful excuse shall be deemed as your unwillingness to offer any defence, and the inquiry will proceed” in his absence. It added that non-compliance with the notice would be punishable under Section 174 (non-attendance in obedience to an order from public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Toor, in a post on X, also shared the noti...

National Press Club demands withdrawal of NCCIA notice, says journalists' rights must be protected

LAHORE: A National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) official on Tuesday informed a sessions court that PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar had been found guilty of harassing actor Momina Iqbal after investigation. NCCIA Lahore Station House Officer (SHO) Najam Bajwa shared this as Additional District and Sessions Judge Nusrat Ali Siddiqui took up pre-arrest bail petitions of the MPA and his wife, who was also named in the first information report registered after Iqbal’s harassment allegations. Chadhar and his wife appeared before the court upon the expiry of their previous pre-arrest interim bail. During the hearing, SHO Najam Bajwa informed the court that the investigation against Chadhar had been completed and he had been found guilty of the allegations levelled by Iqbal. He further told the court that Chadhar’s wife had surrendered her mobile phone to NCCIA two days ago and the device had been sent for forensic examination. For his part, the counsel for Iqbal urged the court to dismiss the suspects’ bail plea...

Court granted the NCCIA a final opportunity to file a detailed reply before the next hearing

Noreen's lawyer says NCCIA has directed her to appear on Tuesday; legal team seeks four weeks to respond

ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has summoned Noreen Niazi, sister of former incarcerated prime minister Imran Khan, to appear before it on Monday, July 20, over allegations of disseminating “false, offensive and inflammatory” content against state institutions. “You have been found to have disseminated false, offensive and inflammatory social media content to defame state institutions and spread fake narratives,” stated the NCCIA notice dated July 18 said. The agency directed her to appear at its G-13/3 office in Islamabad in connection with an inquiry. “In case of non-compliance, it will be assumed that you have nothing to present or state in your defence,” the notice further stated, adding that non-compliance was punishable under Section 174 of the Pakistan Penal Code. While the notice did not specify the content in relation to which Niazi has been summoned, it was issued after a clip of her making claims in relation to last year’s brief military conflict between Pakistan an...

LAHORE: A sessions court on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on a petition seeking the registration of a case against Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for allegedly making a controversial statement about security personnel. Fazl made the statement during a recent party rally in Punjab’s Kasur, where he spoke about the security situation and terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In this context, he referred to the frequent mention of soldiers’ martyrdom, adding that security personnel were drawing salaries to fight for the country. The petition, filed by citizen Mohammad Waqar, was heard by Additional District and Sessions Judge Malik Latif. Advocate Mudassar Chaudhry, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, submitted that his client had watched a speech by the JUI-F chief on social media in which he allegedly made derogatory remarks about Pakistan’s martyrs. The counsel argued that the speech hurt the petitioner’s sentime...

• Summons agency’s chief for briefing on online portal, enforcement timelines • Senators seek briefing on revised mechanism for registration of blasphemy FIRs ISLAMABAD: The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights expressed concern over the delay in processing of complaints by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the technical issues with its online complaint portal. In its meeting chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, the body reviewed the NCCIA performance, delays in cybercrime complaint redressal, the procedure being followed in blasphemy-related cases and progress in the murder case of Lahore resident Ahmed Javed. Senator Quratulain Marri informed the meeting that a sustained online campaign had been launched against her and her family on social media, and that no effective action had been taken despite the filing of a formal complaint through legal counsel. The NCCIA officials told the committee that technical and operational constraints had affected the online complaint system....

LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Wednesday granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) a six-day physical remand of podcast host Rehan Tariq in a case registered under blasphemy and electronic crime laws. The NCCIA registered a first information report (FIR) against YouTuber Tariq on June 25 after he conducted a podcast with a religious scholar and discussed highly sensitive and controversial sectarian issues, sparking controversy among followers of different sects. The FIR was registered under Section 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, Section 153-A (spreading hate or promoting enmity between different groups), Section 295-A (outraging religious feelings) and Section 298 (uttering words or making gestures with the deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) of the Pakistan Penal Code. During the hearing, the NCCIA produced Tariq before Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo at the district courts. The investigating officer informed the magistrate that the YouTub...

LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) will establish a dedicated special cell in Punjab to ensure the prompt registration, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrime cases involving women and children, according to an official statement. NCCIA Punjab Director Muhammad Ali Wasim said in the statement on Wednesday that the initiative was aimed at providing the victim women and children with expedited legal assistance, protection and institutional support while ensuring that complaints were investigated without delay. “Cases involving online harassment, cyberstalking, blackmail, digital exploitation, identity theft, misuse or circulation of private photographs and videos, as well as other technology-enabled offences against women and minors will be processed through the newly established specialised unit,” he said. The official added that all such cases would remain under the direct supervision of the relevant deputy director to ensure close monitoring, swift investigations, and effecti...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore has arrested two suspects allegedly involved in blackmailing and harassing women by threatening to leak their private photos and videos on social media.