Two held for involvement in child abuse case

KARACHI:

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested two suspects for their alleged involvement in sharing and selling videos depicting the sexual abuse of children during a crackdown on a suspected child pornography network in Karachi.

Two mobile phones were also seized. Investigations are under way against the arrested suspects, identified as Jazil Hassan and Afreen Khan.

Material allegedly recovered from them had also helped identify victims in Pakistan and abroad. Investigators had also uncovered the alleged use of videos and graphic material related to the sexual abuse of children, he said.

The agency is taking effective measures to protect women and children from cybercrime. Over the past year, the NCCIA had arrested 18 suspects involved in blackmailing women.

According to NCCIA Karachi Additional Director Tariq Nawaz, some victims had become so distressed by persistent harassment that they had contemplated taking extreme steps. The suspects allegedly used private photographs and videos to blackmail and harass women.

The NCCIA official urged citizens not to share their private photographs or videos with others, warning that such material could be misused for blackmail.

He also cautioned young people working at call centres against engaging in illegal activities.

Fraudsters often impersonated courier company representatives and tricked citizens into sharing verification codes to defraud them, he said.

Nawaz warned that those involved in sexual exploitation or causing financial losses to citizens would not be spared.