Pakistan's National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has recovered Rs1.4 million in an online trading and investment fraud case involving more than Rs21 million, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Monday. A Rawalpindi resident, Muhammad Arshad, was allegedly deceived through a WhatsApp group named "v185-Wharton", where high investment returns were promised.

According to an NCCIA official, the complainant transferred a total of Rs21,018,511 to different beneficiary accounts provided by the suspects, using a mobile banking application and ATM card transactions. The Rs1.4 million was recovered from an arrested suspect who is on physical remand, and efforts are under way to identify the other people involved and recover the remaining amount.

Second recovery for a fraud victim

In a separate case reported a day earlier, the NCCIA's Islamabad circle recovered Rs2.94 million and returned it to a woman who had been defrauded of Rs9.5 million. The two recoveries come during a wider NCCIA crackdown on online financial fraud.

In its first month under Director General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, the agency received 5,176 complaints, registered 4,491 inquiries, filed 272 cases, arrested 1,129 suspects and recovered Rs105.3 million, which was returned to victims. The agency has urged citizens to be cautious of online investment offers promising unusually high returns, and to report cybercrime through the NCCIA helpline 1799 or at their nearest NCCIA circle office.