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       RAWALPINDI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has disclosed that illegal international SIMs, particularly those from the United Kingdom, are being widely used in Pakistan for serious crimes, including child pornography, kidnapping for ransom and online financial fraud.

       Speaking at a press conference on Friday, FIA (cybercrime wing) Additional DG Waqaruddin Syed termed cybercrime “a complex issue” and said illegal international SIMs were being sold in the Pakistani market.

       He said the FIA cybercrime wing had launched, for the first time, a crackdown on the unauthorised trade of these illegal SIMs and as many as 44 suspects were arrested from Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Sukkur and Abbottabad.

       He said that a total of 8,363 international SIMs from the UK had been recovered, including those involved in their sale and purchase, adding that 21 cases had been registered across the country.

       ADG Waqaruddin explained that UK-based SIMs were particularly popular in Pakistan due to their ease of availability and pre-activation.

       “These pre-activated SIMs can be easily ordered through social media platforms,” he said, adding that they were also being used for crimes like child pornography and financial fraud.

       Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2025