NCCIA Arrests 39 at Lahore Call Centre Over Loan App Blackmail

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) says it arrested 39 people at a call centre in a private housing society in Lahore on 6 October 2026. According to an NCCIA spokesperson, the staff ran loan apps and then blackmailed borrowers with fake explicit pictures made with artificial intelligence (AI).

These are the agency's allegations. The 39 are suspects, and no court has ruled on the case. We could not read an NCCIA press release ourselves, because nccia.gov.pk blocks automated requests with a bot check. So every figure below is as reported from the NCCIA spokesperson's account, and we mark it that way.

NCCIA arrested 39 suspects at a Lahore call centre

The NCCIA says it arrested 38 men and one woman in Lahore on 6 October 2026 and seized 40 laptops and 41 mobile phones. A case is registered and the investigation is continuing. The company name given is Talk Master (Pvt) Ltd.

The count is smaller than the Rawalpindi raid a week earlier, but the method is more worrying. Here is what has been reported so far.

The alleged method was loan, photo access, then threats

The NCCIA says the suspects ran several loan apps. Once an app was on a borrower's phone, it allegedly gained access to the photo gallery and contact list. When a borrower was late, staff allegedly used AI to turn the borrower's photos into fake explicit images and threatened to send them to family and contacts.

The agency's Director General, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, is reported to have said the agency has a zero-tolerance policy on blackmailing citizens.

The key step is the permission. A loan app that asks to read your gallery and contacts does not need them to lend you money. It needs them to frighten you later. That is our reading of the allegation, not an NCCIA finding.

We are not naming any app. Reports spell the app names in different ways, and we could not confirm a list from the agency. A wrong name could point readers at an honest app. Check any app yourself with the steps below.

Check that a loan app is on SECP's licensed list before you install it

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) publishes a white list of digital lending apps run by licensed lending companies, and a separate list of illegal loan apps. If the app is not on the white list, do not install it.

When we opened the SECP site on 2 October 2026, the white list was titled "White List of Digital Lending Apps, as of September 11, 2026". The illegal apps list on the same site was last updated on 19 May 2025, so a missing name there proves nothing. The white list is the one that counts.

1. Open the SECP white list of digital lending apps.
2. Find the exact app name and the company that runs it.
3. If the app is missing, or the company name does not match, stop.
4. Do not grant gallery, contacts or file access during setup.
5. Take a screenshot of the app's name, its developer name and the loan terms before you accept anything.

The full method, including how the two SECP lists differ, is in our guide on how to check if a lending app is SECP licensed. One more caution: the white list covers licensed lenders only. It cannot tell you whether a call you receive is genuine.

Blackmail with fake images is a crime, and the victim is not at fault

If someone threatens to send altered pictures of you to your family, you are the victim. Do not pay. Paying rarely ends it, and the same people often ask again. Keep everything and report it to the NCCIA.

The NCCIA's own site, when we read it in a browser on 3 October 2026, listed a 24/7 helpline, 1799, and a complaint portal at complaint.nccia.gov.pk. We could not reopen it today to confirm nothing has changed.

Warning signs that match the alleged method:

• The app asks for your gallery or contact list before it lends anything.
• The app is not on the SECP white list.
• The caller threatens to message your contacts.
• The caller sends an edited picture of you and demands money within hours.

What to do if a loan app has already threatened you

Do not reply to the threats and do not pay anything more. Screenshot every message, note the numbers, keep the app installed until the evidence is saved, and report to the NCCIA. Then take the lender complaint to SECP.

1. Save screenshots of the threats, the phone numbers, the app name and your loan record.
2. Tell one trusted family member first, so the threat loses its power.
3. File a cybercrime complaint with the NCCIA. The steps are in how to report online blackmail with private photos, and the general process is in how to report a cybercrime.
4. Report the harassment as a lending complaint. The route for SECP and NCCIA together is set out in how to report loan app harassment.
5. Remove the app's permissions in your phone settings once the evidence is saved.

This is not the first raid of its kind. The NCCIA reported a larger one at an illegal call centre in Rawalpindi on 28 September, where 61 people were arrested over alleged loan recovery fraud. The government has not linked the two cases.

Common questions

How many people did the NCCIA arrest in Lahore?

The NCCIA says it arrested 39 people, 38 men and one woman, on 6 October 2026. They are suspects. No one has been convicted.

What company is named in the case?

The NCCIA spokesperson is reported to have named Talk Master (Pvt) Ltd. We could not check the company's registration, and the name is an allegation, not a finding.

Which loan apps were involved?

We are not naming them. The reports spell the app names differently and we could not confirm a list from the agency. Check any app against the SECP white list instead.

How do I know a loan app is legal in Pakistan?

Look for the app on SECP's white list of digital lending apps run by licensed lending companies. If it is not listed, treat it as unsafe.

Should I pay someone who threatens me with fake pictures?

No. Save the evidence and report to the NCCIA. Payment does not guarantee the threats stop.

Where do I report loan app blackmail?

File a complaint with the NCCIA, which lists a 1799 helpline and a portal at complaint.nccia.gov.pk. Lending conduct complaints can also go to SECP.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 7 October 2026. The raid details (date, 39 arrests, 38 men and one woman, 40 laptops, 41 phones, the company name and the method) are reported from an NCCIA spokesperson's account on 6 October. We could not read an NCCIA release, because nccia.gov.pk and secp.gov.pk block automated requests. The SECP white list title and the illegal list update date come from our reading of the SECP website in a browser on 2 October 2026. The NCCIA helpline and portal come from our browser read of nccia.gov.pk on 3 October 2026. We have not contacted the NCCIA and have not named the suspects or the apps. Nothing here is legal advice.