KARACHI: Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) Chief, through a letter on Saturday, apprised the Federal Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Minister that in the absence of Prevention of Electronic Crime Ordinance (PECO) Law 2007, lapsed in 2010, Pakistan had become a safe heaven for cyber criminals and con artists whereas the law enforcement agencies were unable to take legal action against them.
“There are numerous complaints regarding fake calls deceiving citizens into receiving a phony prize. The normal practice is that the criminals calls the supposed prize winner, and gives him three options to collect his prize money i.e. have the amount transferred in his account through cheque, visit Islamabad to receive the prize money or receive the prize at door step. Thereafter, the caller asks the victim to pay Rs 10,000 through easy paisa transfer and or by cellular easy load for the prize to be processed and once sent the receiver disappears. “
Chinoy recently received once such complaint from a trader of Jodia Bazaar where the culprits had disappeared after he (trader) transferred Rs 10,000 to them via easy load.
After receiving several complains, Sindh CPLC Chief Ahmed Chinoy asked FIA to take up such cases for necessary action as per law. In response to Chinoy’s letter, FIA told him that due to the absence of PECO, they were unable to take any action against the offenders.
Sindh CPLC Chief wrote a letter to the Federal Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Minister to draw his attention towards the PECO Law 2007, which had been lapsed in 2010.
Urging the federal minister to revoke PECO, Chinoy stated that these criminals were intentionally harming the physical, mental and financial position of their victims by using modern telecommunication networks such as internet and mobile phones.