Naqvi highlights staff shortage at NCCIA

LAHORE: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has expressed concern over the severe shortage of staff at the newly-established National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). In response to the growing number of cybercrime cases, Naqvi appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for assistance in addressing the issue.

At the NCCIA's Lahore headquarters, Naqvi highlighted the agency's struggle to cope with the workload due to a "severe shortage of investigators." He pointed out that "thousands of cases are being reported," with some matters requiring decisions within days instead of weeks or months. Naqvi questioned how investigators could handle such a high volume of cases, given that each officer was given between 3,000 to 4,000 cases.

The minister also emphasized the pressure on the cybercrime investigation system, noting that transactions involving sums ranging from Rs10,000 to millions of rupees had been reported. In Punjab, with a population of approximately 140 million people, the NCCIA had only 61 officers. Naqvi stressed the importance of a nationwide awareness campaign to protect women and girls from online blackmail, urging people, particularly young women, not to share personal photographs online.

He warned authorities about cases involving blackmail against girls, which were among the most common complaints.

Naqvi urged the government to cooperate with other countries and maintain daily contact with embassies to tackle cybercrime-related matters.