MANSEHRA: The Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Wing has arrested a man for hacking a diagnostic centre’s computer system and posting a ‘sacrilegious’ message on its display panel to cause unrest.

The arrest was disclosed by head of operations at the Islamabad Diagnostic Centre Mohammad Zubair Awan in a news conference here on Monday.

He said that information about the detainee, including his whereabouts, was kept confidential due to the ongoing FIA investigation into the sensitive issue.

Mr Awan said the hacker posted the offensive message on the large SDC, installed at the centre’s entrance, with the help of his mobile phone, prompting the IT section to switch off the screen and report the matter to FIA.

Accompanied by manager (operations) Shahzad Ahmad and supervisor (operations) Hamad Iqbal, he commended the local media for “acting responsibly by refraining from reporting the incident without verification.”

“Had the conspirators succeeded in their malicious act, the act would have caused public outrage in the holy month of Ramazan, with people taking to the streets against our centre known for high-quality services,” he said.

SEARCH OPERATION: Police on Monday claimed to have seized a large cache of illegal weapons and ammunition in the mountainous areas of Mansehra district.

“We recovered unlicensed arms along with a large quantity of ammunition during a search and strike operation launched against outlaws across the district,” DPO Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told reporters here.

He said the police were utilising all available resources to ensure people’s security, with the strike and search operations across all 17 police stations in the district being part of those efforts.

“We want to ensure that no strangers rent a house without security clearance by police in Mansehra, Oghi, Balakot, Darband and Baffa-Pakhal tehsils in line with the National Action Plan,” he said.

The DPO said that female constables were also part of the operation.

He urged residents to support police by reporting any suspicious individuals or activities in the district, saying names of informants will be kept confidential.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2025