A con artist, who used threatening calls to blackmail not just ordinary citizens but also high-profile lawmakers and ministers, has been arrested by Islamabad Police following multiple complaints from parliamentarians.
The suspect, identified as Shehroz Ahmed, a matriculation dropout, made calls impersonating police officers and demanded money under false pretenses.
Among his victims were Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Senator Palwasha, Senator Hidayatullah, and Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Faisal Saleem.
As the scam extended beyond the general public to government officials, Islamabad Police launched a swift investigation. The suspect was traced and arrested from Sahiwal along with incriminating evidence.
IG Islamabad Ali Rizvi revealed details of the operation:
"Our team spent three days using state-of-the-art technology and human intelligence to track the suspect. He was arrested with solid evidence, including multiple SIM cards. We analyzed 1,657 calls to locate him."
According to police officials, Senator Hidayatullah was so distressed by the fraudster’s threats that he personally visited the I-9 police station. During the operation, authorities recovered over 2,500 SIM cards and multiple mobile phones from the suspect.
The police have urged the public and government officials to remain vigilant against such scams and report suspicious calls immediately.
