ISLAMABAD: In a continued effort to combat illegal SIM issuance, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in coordination with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing, has conducted successful raids in Quetta and Gujrat, targeting unauthorized SIM registration activities at Ufone and Zong franchises.
In Quetta, a PTA-led raid was carried out at a Ufone franchise located in the Engineering Building on Zarghoon Road. The FIA, along with PTA officials, arrested the franchise owner, Usman Ahmed, and seized multiple items including biometric verification system (BVS) devices, desktop computers, and a significant stock of unregistered SIM cards.
A separate raid in Gujrat was conducted by the PTA Zonal Office Lahore in collaboration with the FIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (CCRC) Gujranwala, following a complaint from a Karachi resident. The investigation led authorities to a Zong franchise on Bhimber Road, where it was discovered that 433 SIMs had been issued using Sindh-based CNICs, with 57 of them activated through a single BVS device. The franchise owner was taken into custody at the scene.
These operations are part of PTA’s ongoing crackdown on illegal SIM issuance, which poses serious threats to national digital security. The authority reiterated its firm commitment to safeguarding telecom users and emphasized that it will continue working closely with law enforcement agencies to root out such fraudulent activities.
PTA encourages citizens to report any suspicious SIM registration activity and reminds the public to only obtain SIMs through authorized and verified channels.
