Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meeting with officials during his visit to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Central Zone Headquarters. —APP

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered a further intensification of operations against cybercriminals during a visit to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Central Zone headquarters, targeting individuals and organised networks involved in online financial fraud, harassment and digital blackmail, an Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

During his inspection of the facility, the interior minister reviewed the agency’s end-to-end mechanism for handling citizen grievances, visiting the complaints cell, forensic laboratory and investigation wing.

Chairing a high-level meeting following the tour, Naqvi directed officials to launch an indiscriminate, wide-reaching crackdown against organised syndicates operating fake accounts, digital extortion schemes and predatory online networks, regardless of their operational base.

Emphasising the need for swift action, Naqvi called for the establishment of an effective rapid-response mechanism specifically designed for financial fraud complaints. This system aims to enable immediate cross-institutional coordination to freeze and secure victims’ funds while increasing the likelihood of tracing perpetrators. He stressed that citizens should see visible, timely progress on their complaints rather than enduring months of procedural delay, ordering a comprehensive case-by-case audit of all pending investigations to clear backlogs.

To counter increasingly complex technological threats, the minister instructed the NCCIA to upgrade its digital forensic infrastructure, adopt advanced investigative software and provide specialised technical training to its officers. He noted that emerging cybercrime methods cannot be combated through traditional policing alone, reiterating the federal government’s ambition to transform the NCCIA into a modern, fully equipped cyber police force capable of safeguarding the public online.

Special priority was assigned to grievances involving online harassment, blackmail and the digital exploitation of women and children. Naqvi reaffirmed that protecting public data, privacy, and economic security remains the agency’s primary mandate, adding that financial resources and modern tools are actively being allocated to meet these goals. To support these operational changes, he instructed the agency to strengthen its public awareness initiatives, ensuring citizens receive timely warnings regarding dynamic online fraud tactics so they can protect themselves.

The visit concluded with a comprehensive briefing by the NCCIA director general detailing Central Zone performance metrics, ongoing enforcement operations and evolving cyber fraud patterns.

Director General NCCIA, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, DG FIA, Usman Anwar, IGP Islamabad, Sohail Chaudhry and others attended the meeting.