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An unknown number of Malaysian nationals are being held in a jail in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, for allegedly running a scam call centre in a luxury suburban enclave of Islamabad
The group also included 170 Vietnamese nationals, 40 Chinese nationals, and citizens from other Asian countries, reported AFP.
According to Pakistani authorities, the foreigners had entered the country on tourist visas but were allegedly working at the call centre, which they were not permitted to do.
"They were running a scam call centre in Gulberg Green, a housing society on the outskirts of Islamabad," an official from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a Pakistani intelligence service, said.
"They came to Pakistan on tourist visas and were not allowed to do what they were doing."
Commuters ride past a building (right) cordoned off by security personnel after authorities detained Malaysians among other foreign nationals during a raid for running an alleged scam call centre on the outskirts of Islamabad.
Image via Aamir Qureshi/AFPThe Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is now trying to establish exactly how the Malaysians became involved
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail said PDRM could not confirm the exact number of Malaysians detained, as the investigation was still in its early stages.
PDRM has dispatched a special team to Islamabad to investigate reports concerning the Malaysians and are working with Pakistani authorities to trace the network of individuals allegedly involved, reported the New Straits Times.
Khalid said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had informed him that visits to specific locations in Pakistan would require coordinated action between police forces as well as government-to-government cooperation.
What were the Malaysians doing at the call centre?
Last week's raid was carried out at a time when Pakistani authorities are investigating an alleged network operating from the residential area.
While the detainees' respective embassies have been informed, Pakistani authorities have not yet released the full details of the allegations against them.
Possible outcomes include deportation for those found to have been involved, the FIA official said.
The Malaysian nationals' alleged roles, and whether they were simply employees or part of a wider criminal network, are now among the issues PDRM will seek to establish.
A building housing an alleged scam call centre is cordoned off by security personnel after authorities detained foreign nationals during a raid on the outskirts of Islamabad.
Image via Aamir Qureshi/AFPOnline scams in Malaysia increasingly involve foreign nationals
Khalid said current trends showed online scam activities increasingly involved foreign nationals, particularly those from China.
He said the National Scam Response Centre in Cyberjaya receives more than 500 calls from victims every day, with every complaint followed up by a police report to enable the Commercial Crime Investigation Department to take immediate action.
He also said the severity of the issue was evident from the arrest of 182 foreign nationals last month who were allegedly attempting to turn Malaysia into a hub for online scam activities.
This is not the first time Pakistani authorities have uncovered an operation involving large numbers of foreign nationals.
In July 2025, 149 people, including 71 foreigners who were mostly Chinese nationals, were arrested in Pakistan during a raid on a large call centre allegedly involved in Ponzi schemes and investment fraud.
