The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a three-member gang accused of orchestrating a large-scale digital banking fraud in Lahore that compromised the data of more than 170 customers of a private bank and resulted in the theft of Rs15 million.
According to FIA officials, the arrested gang includes an employee of the private bank and a woman, indicating possible insider involvement in the scheme.
Investigators said the group gained access to the banking systems internal database and used it to identify high net worth account holders before altering their registered addresses.
Officials said the gang then submitted applications for new ATM cards linked to the targeted accounts.
Once the applications were processed, gang members conducted surveillance outside the homes of the targeted customers and intercepted delivery personnel to obtain the newly issued cards before they reached the intended account holders.
Using the intercepted cards, the gang withdrew a combined total of Rs15 million from five customer accounts, according to FIA findings.
Acting on the leaked data and account activity, the FIA launched an investigation that led to the arrest of the three suspects. Authorities said the case highlights vulnerabilities in the handling of sensitive customer data within the banking sector, particularly regarding internal access controls.
The FIA said the investigation is ongoing and further arrests or details may follow as the probe into the banks internal systems and the extent of the data leak continues.
