A Malaysian man detained by Pakistani authorities during a raid on a scam call centre in Islamabad has been released and returned home after investigations cleared him of any involvement.
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said Pakistani authorities found the 32-year-old had no connection to the fraud syndicate being probed, FMT reported.
“He has been released and has returned to Malaysia,” Rusdi told Bernama, adding that CCID officers would record a statement from the man to assist further investigations into the case.
The man was among 258 foreign nationals detained when Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency raided a residential estate in Gulberg Green, on the outskirts of Islamabad, on 17 August. The detainees included 170 Vietnamese and 40 Chinese nationals, according to The Vibes.
Pakistani authorities said syndicate members had entered the country on tourist visas before allegedly setting up illegal online scam operations. Rusdi confirmed the Malaysian was the only citizen from the country held during the operation.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail had earlier dispatched a special team of Malaysian officers to Pakistan to investigate the detention. The team was sent to liaise with international agencies and determine whether transnational criminal syndicates were increasingly recruiting or exploiting foreign nationals across borders.
Khalid said at the time that he could not confirm the exact number of Malaysians detained as the investigation was still in its early stages. The Home Minister had informed him that visits to specific locations required coordinated action between police and on a government-to-government level.
The case comes amid growing concern over online scam networks operating across Southeast and South Asia. The National Scam Response Centre in Cyberjaya receives over 500 calls from victims daily, with every complaint followed up by a police report, according to NST.
Khalid noted that the severity of the issue was evident with the arrest of 182 foreign nationals in Malaysia the previous month, who were allegedly attempting to turn the country into a hub for online scam activities.
Rusdi said the CCID would continue working with Pakistani authorities as investigations progressed. No further details on the man’s arrest or how he ended up at the call centre were provided.
