FIA secures five-day physical remand of Farhan Mallick over call center fraud

A Judicial Magistrate granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a five-day physical remand of journalist Farhan Mallick in connection with a fraud case, in which he is accused of operating a fake call center in Karachi.

On March 20, Mallick was arrested by the FIA on charges of violating Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) laws. However, on Tuesday, the court rejected the FIA's plea for an extension of his physical remand and ordered that he be sent to jail.

Today, Mallick was presented before the Judicial Magistrate Malir in another case. FIA officials and his defense lawyer, Moeez Jafri, appeared in court during the hearing.

Read: FIA arrests journalist Farhan Mallick under Peca law

According to the FIR submitted by the FIA, a call center in Gulshan-e-Iqbal was raided on March 25, resulting in the arrest of two individuals, Athar Hussain and Hassan Najeeb.

The FIR alleged that the suspects were involved in defrauding foreign nationals by obtaining their confidential data through specialised software. The report further claimed that the suspects were engaged in fraudulent activities and online scams.

The FIA stated in the FIR that the arrested individuals implicated Farhan Malik, alleging that the operation was being run under his directives.

Following these allegations, the court approved the FIA's request for a five-day physical remand of Mallick in this second case.

Check: Viral video shows looting at Islamabad call center after FIA raid

Speaking to the media, Farhan Mallick’s lawyer, Moeez Jafri, dismissed the charges as fabricated.

He claimed that when Mallickwas initially scheduled to be presented for remand, the process was deliberately delayed, and in the meantime, a new case was registered at 9 am, naming two additional suspects.

"This case is completely baseless," Jafri asserted. "Farhan Mallick was arrested in a single day based on a false FIR. When the FIA failed to obtain remand in the first case, they immediately registered another case against him."

Jafri further alleged that Mallick has been kept in FIA custody in violation of court orders. "After the court sent him to jail as per the law, FIA officials filed a fresh case and re-arrested him after merely informing the jail authorities," he added.