ISLAMABAD: A nationwide crackdown against cybercriminals led to the arrest of 1,129 suspects in a month while an amount of Rs105.3 million was recovered during the operations and returned to the victims, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Sunday.

According to a one-month performance report after Director General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi assumed charge, the agency received 5,176 complaints over the past month, on which 4,491 inquiries were registered.

Upon completion of inquiries, 272 cases were registered against those involved in cybercrime. Mr Rizvi said that ensuring digital protection of people would be a priority and a zero-tolerance policy against cybercrime would continue to be strictly enforced.

He said that in an era where the digital domain has become an integral part of national life, protecting people, institutions and digital infrastructure is not merely a law-enforcement responsibility, it is a national imperative.-Iftikhar A. Khan