An Islamabad court has granted three-day physical remand of 112 male suspects and sent 42 female suspects to jail on 14-day judicial remand in a case involving alleged cybercrime activities at call centres in Sector G-8. The orders were passed after the suspects were produced before the court following their arrest by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) during a late-night raid in the area.
The hearing was held at the District and Sessions Court in Islamabad, where Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman took up the case. A total of 154 suspects, including 112 men and 42 women, were presented before the court through video link in two separate groups.
The suspects were arrested by the NCCIA during a late-night raid on call centres in Sector G-8, where the agency said alleged cybercrime activities were taking place. The large number of arrests followed the raid, after which the suspects were brought before the court for remand.
During the hearing, the investigation officer requested 10-day physical remand of the male suspects and 14-day judicial remand of the female suspects for further investigation. The officer sought the court’s permission to keep the men in custody for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged cybercrime activities.
The court, however, approved only three days of physical remand for the men, instead of the 10 days sought by the investigation officer. At the same time, the court ordered that the 42 women be sent to jail for 14 days on judicial remand, as requested by the investigation officer.
The court also directed the investigation officer to submit the complete investigation report, known as the challan, for the female suspects within the given time. The direction means the investigation officer must complete the required formalities for the women within the period fixed by the court.
Assistant Director Legal Asim Shahjahan appeared in court on behalf of the NCCIA and represented the agency during the proceedings. He was present when the investigation officer’s requests were placed before the magistrate and the court’s orders were announced.
Cases against the suspects have been registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), the law under which the alleged cybercrime activities are being investigated. The suspects remain in the custody of the authorities under the court’s orders while the investigation into the case continues.
