Armaghan made Rs17 billion in three years from call center phishing scams, NA committee told

Armaghan Qureshi, the prime suspect in Mustafa Amir's murder case, was found to be involved in phishing scams through his illegal call center, earning at least Rs17 billion in three years, officials revealed to a National Assembly committee on Wednesday.

The second sitting of the Sub-Committee of NA’s Standing Committee on Interior Affairs was held at the Central Police Office (CPO). 

The meeting presided over by the Member National Assembly Abdul Qadir Patel, attended by Committee members MNAs Syed Rafiullah, Nabeel Gabol and Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, city police chief, senior interior ministry officials and representatives of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Excise Department and others.

Read: Accused Armughan deleted data from all laptops during police raid: report

The committee received an in-depth overview of the murder case, including details about the suspect's possible connections to drug gangs and possible involvement of law enforcement agencies. 

During the meeting, it was revealed that the suspect had been operating an illegal call centre for the past three years, managing to earn around 17 billion rupees.

The representative explained that the suspect had deposited this money into 40 bank accounts, which were registered in the names of his employees.

They further explained that the suspect and his associates contacted foreign individuals while posing as representatives of American agencies. Through fraudulent calls, they obtained credit card details and stole money from their victims.

Read: Court urged to grant FIA access to Armaghan’s Bitcoin transactions

The meeting was informed that laptops recovered from the suspect’s house lacked "specific data," as it had already been extracted before the police raid.

The committee also urged FIA to provide a list of all call centres located in Karachi. 

The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the police's handling of various critical issues in the case, and noted significant delays in the investigation.

A spokesperson for the Inspector General of Police stated that the committee members acknowledged the collaborative efforts and the progress made in gathering evidence. 

Lawmakers also called for the swift completion of the Mustafa Amir murder case and for its findings to be made public in a report to the National Assembly.