258 foreigners arrested in scam centre raid
ISLAMABAD: Authorities said Monday they detained 258 foreigners, including 40 Chinese nationals, following a raid on an alleged “scam call centre” in the capital Islamabad. “They were running a scam call centre in Gulberg Green, a housing society on the outskirts of Islamabad,” an official from the Federal Investigation Agency, a Pakistani intelligence service, told AFP . “They came to Pakistan…
Authorities in Islamabad detained 258 foreigners, including 40 Chinese nationals, in a raid on an alleged "scam call centre" in the Gulberg Green housing society on the outskirts of the capital, according to an official from the Federal Investigation Agency. The detainees were found to have come to Pakistan on tourist visas and were not permitted to engage in the activities they were allegedly running.
Among the detained were 170 individuals from Vietnam, along with nationals from Malaysia and other Asian countries. These individuals are currently being held at a Rawalpindi jail, with details of the allegations against them expected to be released in the coming days as the investigation continues. The respective embassies have been informed of the arrests.
Possible outcomes for the detainees include deportation, officials stated. Media reports indicated that the foreigners were detained last week, though AFP has sought a comment from the Chinese foreign ministry on the matter. A similar raid occurred in July 2025, during which 149 people, including 71 foreigners mostly from China, were arrested on allegations of operating a "large call centre involving Ponzi schemes and investment fraud."
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