A con artist who blackmailed both ordinary citizens and high-profile government officials, including lawmakers and ministers, has been arrested by Islamabad Police. The suspect, Shehroz Ahmed, a matriculation dropout, was apprehended following multiple complaints from parliamentarians about threatening calls demanding money.
Ahmed impersonated police officers and used scare tactics to extort money from his victims, which included Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Senator Palwasha, Senator Hidayatullah, and Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Faisal Saleem. The scam quickly caught the attention of Islamabad Police as it expanded beyond the general public to government officials.
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In response, the police launched an immediate investigation, successfully tracing Ahmed’s location in Sahiwal. He was arrested with incriminating evidence, including over 2,500 SIM cards and multiple mobile phones.
IG Islamabad Ali Rizvi praised the police’s efforts, stating, “Our team used state-of-the-art technology and human intelligence to track the suspect. In just three days, we analyzed 1,657 calls to locate and apprehend him.” The operation resulted in a solid case against Ahmed, who was caught with multiple SIM cards used for his fraudulent activities.
Authorities have urged both the public and officials to remain vigilant and report any suspicious calls to prevent falling victim to similar scams in the future.
