Pakistan to deport 284 foreigners arrested for sextortion, cybercrimes

Pakistan will deport 284 foreign nationals, mostly from China, Vietnam and Indonesia, for their alleged involvement in cybercrimes, including sextortion, an official said on Monday, August 17.

Most of them arrived in Pakistan on tourist visas and were operating from a registered IT business in Islamabad, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Usman Anwar said.

The suspects were arrested last week, and some of them were shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for deportation, said Anwar. "The Ministry of Interior has cancelled the suspects' visas and they are soon going to be deported."

The suspects were running a sextortion racket by posing as women online, the FIA chief said. "They lured victims into fraudulent business and investment schemes by promising unusually high returns."

The FIA has also traced local facilitators and handlers who were purportedly assisting the foreign suspects. "The possible involvement of individuals associated with government departments is also being examined," Anwar said.

The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has been directed to place the names of these 284 foreigners on the "Black List" and "Foreigners Control List" after their departure, preventing them from obtaining Pakistani visas in future.