FIA Moves to Freeze Accounts of Online Loan App After Alleged Blackmailing

Recently, a very sad incident took place where a Rawalpindi citizen, Muhammad Masood, ended his life because of the blackmailing of the online loan app. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is strictly investigating the case. Now FIA has moved to freeze accounts of the online loan app after the alleged blackmailing of the customers.

Before committing suicide, Muhammad Masood committed recorded an audio clip. A case was lodged at the Race Course station by the deceased man’s brother. He stated in the First Information Report (FIR) that the people running the online loan company were blackmailing Masood by threatening women of his family and data leak.

FIA Moves to Freeze Accounts of Online Loan App After Alleged Blackmailing

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After expanding the probe’s scope, FIA made records of four sealed offices of the loan app as part of the ongoing investigation into Muhammad Masood’s suicide case.

The intelligence agency contacted concerned communication companies for blocking the accounts of the online loan app. The FIA spokesperson said they also received records of the employees working at the offices of the loan app.

Additionally, the agency wrote letters to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for the records of the SIMs used in the financial fraud. FIA’s additional director of cybercrimes with the 19-member team is investigating the blackmailing and suicide case.

The DG FIA issued directives to all anti-cybercrime units to launch a crackdown on unregistered loan apps across the country. During the investigation, it came to know that 74 inquiries and three cases were lodged across the country. However, FIA also arrested 17 suspects and blocked 30 accounts.

The authorities sealed five online loan companies over their alleged involvement in illegal activities.

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