Authorities have arrested a man in Karachi on charges of possessing child pornography and blackmailing minors in the United States, following a complaint from the American consulate, an official said on Thursday.
The suspect, Agha Sarwar Abbas, was taken into custody on March 11 after a special agent from the US Department of State alleged he was in possession of child pornography and had been extorting US minors using material obtained through various online platforms.
The complaint led to a case being registered under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which criminalises offences related to child pornography and online exploitation.
"Agha Sarwar Abbas has been arrested on a complaint from the US consulate for his alleged involvement in child pornography and blackmailing minors in the US," Ameer Ali, an investigator with the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), said. "The court granted us a five-day physical remand for further questioning," he added.
The US Consulate declined to comment on the ongoing legal case. On Wednesday, FIA informed Karachi’s Judicial Magistrate East that Abbas had admitted to creating a fake online identity and posing as a US citizen, Brandon Liechier, to gain the trust of minors.
According to the police report, Abbas confessed during interrogation to using personal data for blackmail and threats based on recorded videos of US minors.
Authorities raided his residence in Karachi’s New Rizvia Society, seizing multiple devices, including a laptop and an iPad, which allegedly contained child pornographic material.
Investigators identified several online platforms—Whereby.com, Google Meet, Snapchat, and 411.com—that Abbas reportedly used to establish contact with victims. Through these platforms, he engaged in video calls and text chats, allegedly coercing minors into sharing explicit content.
The police report stated that Abbas used personal data, including home addresses, to threaten victims with the release of compromising material unless they complied with his demands.
Digital forensic analysis confirmed the presence of child pornographic content and extortion messages on his seized devices. On Wednesday, the FIA requested a 14-day police remand, but a local magistrate granted only five days, until March 18.
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