In the realm of law enforcement within Pakistan, an alarming
trend has emerged, tarnishing the very essence of justice and integrity. The
reprehensible practice of extorting innocent individuals for financial gain
after subjecting them to unjust arrests and harrowing torture has witnessed a
distressing upsurge. In Pakistan, the practice of demanding money from innocent
people after arresting and torturing them is on the rise. This occurs in almost
every security force, but it has become a norm in the cybercrime wing of
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency. Currently, 350 officers of the FIA
Cybercrime Wing across Pakistan have not received their salaries for the past
eight months.Surprisingly, they have not demanded their salaries from the
government, and the government has not even considered how the FIA cybercrime
system is operating without funds. The Cybercrime Wing lacks even basic
resources such as stationery, pens, paper, and petrol. Despite this, the
employees of the wing continue their work without complaint. Upon investigation,
it was discovered that the FIA Cybercrime Wing receives thousands of complaints
every month from across the country, including fraudulent money transfers,
sexual harassment, child pornography, and other crimes conducted through mobile
and computer devices. The modus operandi of the FIA Cybercrime Wing involves
arresting individuals without a warrant and taking them to the cybercrime
station where they are subjected to torture until they beg for mercy.
Subsequently, the officers of the FIA Cybercrime Wing pressure the arrested
individuals to contact their friends or relatives and demand ransom money. In
some instances, this money is not returned to the complainant, and the accused
is released after the officers share the ransom among themselves. In other
cases, the cybercrime wing's staff collects the money and sends the accused to
jail. When cybercrime suspects are presented before the court for remand, they
are coerced and warned not to mention the torture they endured, or they will be
beaten again later. Consequently, the accused individuals remain silent during
the proceedings, allowing the FIA Cybercrime Wing to obtain further remand. If
there is a fear of not receiving remand, the staff bribes the judge's assistants
and obtains remand in the absence of the judge. Most of the accused are granted
remand by the FIA cybercrime judges from their chambers, which is an illegal
practice. Ideally, judges should personally meet with the accused, gather
information, and then decide whether to grant remand or not. However, such
principles are seemingly absent in Pakistani courts. The FIA Cybercrime Wing is
operating without salaries and funds, yet it continues to function at full
capacity. The 350 officers, who were initially recruited on three-year contracts
12 years ago, have repeatedly had their contracts extended, making the group a
powerful force. A mafia-like organization has emerged, and to secure contract
extensions, they pool money among themselves and offer bribes to the Federal
Ministry of Interior, amounting to crores (tens of millions) of rupees.
Similarly, in other cases, the FIA Cybercrime Wing sends billions of rupees in
bribes to the government. Despite not receiving their salaries for eight months,
the contract officers of the Cybercrime Wing own luxury cars, the most expensive
mobile phones, and possess illegal assets and businesses worth billions of
rupees in foreign countries, including Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. For
instance, the Deputy Director of the Forensic Lab in Islamabad Cybercrime
Circle, originally hired as a forensic expert on a contract basis, was later
confirmed in his position without passing the Federal Public Service Commission
exam. He currently holds additional charge of three posts, including Additional
Director FIA Cybercrime Islamabad Circle, Deputy Director of the Forensic Lab,
and Additional Director of Operations CCW. Sources claim that this Deputy
Director, hailing from Gujarat, is currently the wealthiest FIA officer, capable
of clearing the country's debt in ten days. Another notable figure is the Deputy
Director from Multan in the FIA Counter-Terrorism Wing, who was confirmed
illegally after being recruited on contract. He was accused of stealing the
international gateway exchange from the government's Malkhana, profiting
billions of rupees. When the government discovered this, they suspended him and
filed a case, but the Deputy Director absolved himself using a substantial
amount of money. Presently, he is making money by leaking secrets of the
Counter-Terrorism Wing of FIA to foreign entities. If the FIA Cybercrime Wing
were officially labeled the "Kidnapping Agency," it would not be far from the
truth, as 70 percent of the people arrested and sent to jail by the FIA
Cybercrime Wing across the country are innocent individuals who have not
committed any crimes. No senior officials, including the Federal Interior
Minister, Federal Interior Secretary, or Director General of FIA, have visited
the lockups of FIA police stations established throughout the country. All FIA
police stations are in deplorable condition, worse than poultry farms, where
illegally detained individuals are held as hostages without access to their
lawyers or family. The cybercrime wing mafia has gained significant influence
nationwide, to the extent that even the Director General or Interior Secretary
cannot dare to challenge them. Approximately 99 percent of cybercrime inquiries
against officers are either lost or closed prematurely. This organization of the
FIA Cybercrime Wing, operating without salaries and proper facilities, has
transformed into a gold mine, where even the janitors earn lakhs (hundreds of
thousands) of rupees per month. The seized case properties, including valuable
mobile phones, computers, laptops, and other valuables, are also distributed
among the staff. However, the National Accountability Bureau and other
intelligence agencies turn a blind eye to this corruption and irregularities.