Pakistan cracks down on mule SIM cards
Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency says its Multan unit has arrested two men allegedly involved in registering and using multiple fake SIM cards linked to financial scams. Officers recovered two mobile phones. The case fits a wider pattern of “mule SIMs” used to hide the real callers behind fraud.
MULTAN: Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) says its Multan unit has arrested two men allegedly involved in registering and using multiple fake SIM cards that were also linked to financial scams and other fraud.
The agency said on 5 October 2026 that the SIMs were used by different individuals and agencies.
During the action, officers recovered two mobile phones.
The NCCIA has not said how many SIMs were seized or how much money was lost.
Lineup placards identified the accused as Sanwal and Sheharyar Anwar.
The case is registered at Police Station NCCIA Multan under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and the Pakistan Penal Code.
What mule SIMs are
A mule SIM is registered in one person’s name but used by someone else.
Because the number traces back to a front subscriber, it hides the real caller and is commonly used for fraud calls, OTP theft and moving money through mule bank accounts.
Fake or bulk-activated SIMs feed that trade, letting criminal networks switch numbers quickly when one is blocked.
Wider crackdown
Pakistan’s telecom regulator and the NCCIA have earlier targeted illegal SIM networks that misuse biometrics and franchise devices to issue connections in other people’s names.
The Multan arrests add to pressure on that supply chain as fake SIMs remain a basic tool for financial cybercrime.