Pakistan’s Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (CCIA) has arrested two men in Lahore for allegedly operating an illegal website called “Mini NADRA” and selling sensitive personal information belonging to millions of Pakistani citizens.
According to investigators, the suspects, identified as Muhammad Arsalan and Ali Raza, were allegedly involved in obtaining and selling data related to more than 10 million citizens.
Authorities reportedly recovered approximately 3 terabytes of digital data from the suspects. The information allegedly includes SIM ownership and registration records, call detail records (CDRs), SIM databases, live location information, family trees and sensitive data linked to government institutions.
Investigators said the suspects had established the “Mini NADRA” website to provide access to information allegedly linked to Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
The suspects were also allegedly accessing a dark-web platform known as “Khoji,” which authorities say was used for the illegal buying and selling of sensitive personal information.
During the operation, officials seized two mobile phones from the suspects. The recovered 3TB of data has been sent to a forensic laboratory for detailed examination.
A case has been registered under Pakistan’s cybercrime laws, while further investigation is underway to determine the source of the data, its authenticity and the full extent of the alleged network.
Authorities have not yet established that NADRA’s own systems were directly hacked. The ongoing forensic investigation is expected to determine how the suspects obtained the allegedly sensitive information.
