ISLAMABAD: A PTA illegal SIM crackdown uncovered biometric records linked to about 600,000 people, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority chairman told a National Assembly committee on Thursday.
Briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, the PTA chairman said the regulator conducted 125 joint raids with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), recovering 25,000 SIMs and arresting 171 suspects.
He told lawmakers that biometric records had been leaking from locations where the information was stored, according to the committee proceedings.
A PTA official said the authority had blocked 1.8 million SIMs during the past two-and-a-half years and was upgrading its system in collaboration with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
Read: PTA IMEI Check: Verify Phone Before Buying in Pakistan
The chairman said cellular companies had also been engaged in the process and referred to controls governing the issuance of additional SIMs after five connections.
Committee member Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan said illegal SIMs were being used in terrorism, extortion and other crimes, while also raising concerns about foreign SIMs being sold in Pakistan.
The Minister of State for Interior called for stronger security measures and said bank accounts were also being offered for rent to facilitate fraudulent transactions.
