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RAWALPINDI: A major corruption scandal has shaken the NCCIA after investigators exposed a vast bribery and extortion network inside the NCCIA, Rawalpindi. The racket allegedly involved senior NCCIA officers and Chinese nationals running fraudulent call centers in Bahria Town.
According to documents and the FIR registered with FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle Islamabad, at least 15 call centers — including MAKJ International Pvt. Ltd. and C Dragon Casino — were operating illegally under the protection of NCCIA officials. These centers, managed by Chinese nationals, recruited Pakistani employees on lucrative salaries to run scams targeting local and international victims.
Investigators allege that senior FIA officials, including Additional Director Shahzad Haider, Deputy Director Haider Abbas, and Sub-Inspector Muhammad Bilal, colluded with local businessman Hassan Ameer, owner of Blue Hawks Security, to extort large sums of money from these illegal call centres. Ameer acted as the “frontman” and maintained direct contact with Guo Kaixuan alias Kelvin, the Chinese representative coordinating the operations.
Between September 2024 and April 2025, the group allegedly collected around Rs. 15 million per month, totalling nearly Rs. 120 million in eight months. The extorted money was distributed among officials, with Rs. 550,000 going to Haider, Rs. 200,000 each to Abbas and Bilal, and Rs. 50,000 to Ameer from each call centre monthly. Bilal also charged an additional Rs. 800,000 “cooperation fee” from every newly established call centre.
After a management reshuffle in May 2025, another group of officials — Amir Nazir (Additional Director), Nadeem Ahmad Khan (Acting Deputy Director), Salman Awan (Deputy Director, Anti-Blasphemy Unit), and Sub-Inspector Sarim Ali — continued the extortion operations through new frontman Tahir Mohi-ud-Din.
A subsequent FIA raid on a Bahria Town call centre led to the arrest of 14 Chinese nationals, including Guo Kaixuan. Following the arrests, Sarim Ali allegedly demanded Rs. 20 million in bribes from Kaixuan’s wife, Pakistani national Areeba Rubab — Rs. 8 million for her husband’s release and Rs. 12 million for the others. To pressure her, Ali allegedly sent videos via WhatsApp showing Kelvin being beaten with iron rods. Rubab ultimately paid Rs. 21 million, which was distributed among the officers.
The investigation reveals that Sarim Ali kept Rs. 1.7 million, Usman Basharat Rs. 1.4 million, Zaheer Abbas Niazi Rs. 1 million, and Nadeem Ahmad Khan Rs. 9.5 million, of which Rs. 7 million was forwarded to Additional Director Amir Nazir. Evidence also suggests that Salman Awan initially negotiated the bribe with the Chinese group — despite already being implicated in a previous corruption case involving Rs. 10 million.
In another incident on 16 July 2025, a raid at MAKJ International Pvt. Ltd. led to the arrest of seven Chinese nationals. Shortly afterward, Sarim Ali allegedly collected Rs. 15 million in extortion money near Islamabad’s Tehzeeb Bakery, I-8 Markaz, keeping Rs. 12 million for himself and handing Rs. 3 million to his associate, Tahir Mohi-ud-Din.
The first group of accused officials is believed to have extorted around Rs. 250 million, while the second group extracted an additional Rs. 50 million, bringing the total to approximately Rs. 300 million.
The FIA has registered a criminal case under Sections 109, 161, 386, and 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. The investigation is being led by Assistant Director Muhammad Safeer Ahmed, Inspector Muhammad Waheed Khan, and Sub-Inspector Shamas Gondal.
The accused include senior officials Shahzad Haider, Haider Abbas, Muhammad Bilal, Hassan Ameer, Amir Nazir, Nadeem Ahmad Khan, Salman Awan, Sarim Ali, Usman Basharat, Zaheer Abbas Niazi, Tahir Mohi-ud-Din, Mian Irfan, and Chinese national Guo Kaixuan alias Kelvin. Further arrests and revelations are expected as the investigation deepens.
The scandal has sent shockwaves across Pakistan’s security and intelligence circles, exposing deep-rooted corruption within the country’s cybercrime enforcement apparatus.
Officials confirmed that Amir Nazir, currently Additional Director at NCCIA Peshawar, illegally secured permanent employment without passing the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) exam, violating an Islamabad High Court ruling. Nazir also has a history of corruption — previously implicated in a telecom gateway theft case and accused of extortion during his posting with FIA’s Counter-Terrorism Wing.
Public and political observers have praised intelligence agencies and the Interior Ministry for cracking down on the “black sheep” within the FIA for the first time in the agency’s history. Analysts describe the arrests as a historic step toward accountability and internal reform, marking a critical moment in Pakistan’s ongoing battle against institutional corruption.
