Karachi Farmhouse Phone Theft: Two Arrested After 59 Women Lose Phones at Job Event

A promise of Rs2,000 a day brought dozens of women to a farmhouse in Karachi’s Gadap area. They left without their mobile phones.

Gadap City police registered a case and arrested two suspects, including a female coordinator, while raids were under way for the alleged organiser. The case raises a practical question that goes beyond one farmhouse: why did dozens of people hand over their phones, and what protects them when a phone holds their money and identity?

What the police say happened

Police said the women were invited after being offered interviews and employment for a 25-day event in Bahria Town, with a daily payment of Rs2,000 for a programme running from 7pm to 10pm. A police spokesperson said they were told builders and housing society officials would interview them at the farmhouse.

According to the FIR, the women were taken to the farmhouse by bus, where coordinators allegedly collected their mobile phones and labelled them. Some were also asked to hand over purses and original identity cards.

Shortly afterwards, a female coordinator told them that the man named Sahil Salman had put the phones in a bag and fled on a motorcycle. The women then went to the police.

Arrests and the search for the organiser

Police said the detained man, Waqas, booked the farmhouse, while the detained woman, Nargis, coordinated the event. Police named Sahil Salman as the organiser.

A case was registered at Gadap City police station under Sections 379, 420 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Those sections cover theft, cheating and acts done by several people with a shared intention. The charges are allegations and have not been tested in court.

Why the phone was the target

For many Pakistanis, a smartphone holds banking apps, mobile wallets, messaging accounts and one-time passwords sent by SMS. A stolen phone can be resold, and it can also give access to money and personal data if it is not locked and quickly blocked.

The recruitment method is worth attention too. One account says separate WhatsApp groups and coordinators were set up for women from different parts of Karachi. That points to an organised effort to reach many people at once, a question the investigation will need to answer.

Warning signs for job seekers

The case shows several signs that job seekers can check before they attend any interview or event:

• Genuine employers rarely need you to give up your phone, purse or original CNIC.
• Check who is hiring. A named company, an office address and a verifiable contact should exist.
• Be wary of offers that pay well for a few hours of unspecified work.
• Tell someone where you are going, and take a copy of your CNIC instead of the original.

If your phone is lost or stolen

Report it to the police and keep a copy of the complaint. Ask your mobile operator to block the SIM. Block the device through the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) stolen-device reporting channels. Then secure your accounts: change passwords, contact your bank about any wallet or banking apps, and log out of messaging apps on other devices.

This case needed no hacking. It relied on a convincing story, a believable setting and the habit of trusting an organiser’s instructions. For the public, it is a reminder that a job offer that requires your phone, your ID and your trust before it offers any proof deserves a second look.