Biometric Fraud Drains Bank Accounts of Two MNAs: PTA Fines Telecom Company Rs77.8 Million

An explosive investigation published on October 19, 2026, has exposed a duplicate SIM fraud Pakistan scandal in which criminals used biometric fraud and duplicate SIM cards to drain the bank accounts of two members of the National Assembly and a Karachi businessman — forcing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to fine the cellular company involved Rs77.8 million in each of the two cases.

How the Duplicate SIM Fraud Pakistan Case Unfolded

On January 12, when Farhan Chishti landed at Islamabad airport in the afternoon, the MQM MNA’s phone was dead. He could neither call nor receive a message. Thinking it was a network failure, he waited — but when the connection did not restore for hours, he went to a service centre of his cellular company.

There he learnt that a duplicate SIM, which he had never requested, had been issued against his number in Karachi’s Malir area, disabling his original connection. Disabling it was possible only from the company’s headquarters — which was closed for the day, he was told.

By then, the damage was already underway. The person holding his number had registered Chishti for online banking, although he had never used electronic channels. The same person raised his withdrawal limit, set the password “Saeen Sarkar,” and moved Rs1.5 million out of his account to that of one Sakina Bibi — herself a victim whose account had been opened without her knowledge — and to other accounts opened in the names of women in South Punjab and Sindh.

NCCIA Probe Reveals Bizarre Retailer Claim

Chishti complained to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). Investigators questioned the owner of the point of sale in Khokhrapar, Malir, where the duplicate SIM had been issued. The retailer said a man had approached him claiming his mother, who needed a duplicate SIM, was too weak to leave the car, and asked for the biometric device to be taken to her thumbprint outside the shop.

How the lawmaker’s thumbprint was obtained remains unexplained. Investigators found that the man who used the duplicate SIM was from Nawabshah. They believe bad actors harvest biometrics in bulk from leaked data or from places where fingerprints are not mandatory for routine services, then load them onto software and misuse them — a chilling detail in this duplicate SIM fraud Pakistan saga.

PTA Slaps Rs77.8 Million Fine on Cellular Company

The case went to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which fined the cellular company Rs77.8 million in this duplicate SIM fraud Pakistan case. The company argued that a third party had deceived the retailer. The PTA rejected this, citing Regulation 4(4) of the Subscribers Regulations, under which any SIM sold by any means is the operator’s sole responsibility. It found failures in monitoring, said the company’s later remedial steps did not cure the initial lapse, and noted that similar violations keep surfacing despite repeated instructions.

A second PTA order in the businessman’s case imposed the same Rs77.8 million fine — bringing the total penalty against the operator to Rs155 million across the two cases.

Shaharyar Mahar and Sunny Kumar Also Hit

Chishti is not alone. Another MNA, Shaharyar Mahar, lost Rs2 million in another episode of this duplicate SIM fraud Pakistan scam. Karachi businessman Sunny Kumar also fell victim: a duplicate SIM was issued in his name on September 29, 2025, at a retail outlet in Dhabeji, Thatta. Incidentally, Kumar and Chishti are customers of the same cellular company. As much as Rs8.5 million was taken from Kumar’s account.

The investigation into Kumar’s case revealed an insider at the bank. A branch service officer in Mardan had viewed Kumar’s account before the SIM was issued. The same officer had accessed around 30 accounts, after which funds were withdrawn or restrictions applied, with suspected fraud of about Rs25 million. He first said he was helping a friend with a balance inquiry, then admitted sharing customers’ details with that friend, saying he was under pressure. Phone records showed him also seeking customer data from an employee of another bank, and offering payment to a Nadra employee, who later refused to provide the information.

Banks Ordered Only to Return the Money

Kumar recovered his money from the bank. A source privy to the details said a similar pattern, including the involvement of bank insiders, was observed in the other two cases, but the investigation did not proceed because the complainants were keen only on recovering their stolen funds. Such incidents have also occurred in other provinces, the investigation found.

While the telecom company was penalised in both cases, the only action against the banks was an order to return the victims’ money — no fine, no penalty, despite an insider’s confessed role.

The Wider Duplicate SIM Fraud Pakistan Threat

PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman has confirmed that fraudsters can bypass the biometric safeguards built into the SIM identity-check system, and authorities have blocked 18.2 million illegal SIMs over roughly two and a half years. This duplicate SIM fraud Pakistan investigation concluded the threat is not limited to these three victims — anyone whose fingerprints exist in any routine database could be next.

Sources: Geo News · The News