ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) — Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has uncovered an alleged online network involved in producing and selling child sexual abuse material, with investigations extending across several cities, a senior official said on Sunday.
NCCIA Additional Director Shoaib Khan told a news conference in Islamabad that a man had been arrested for allegedly producing videos involving his own children, aged between five and six, and selling the material through Telegram.
Khan said a group had formed around the circulation and sale of such content. He also alleged that the network was involved in filming sexual abuse of animals.
The official said the main suspect belonged to Skardu, while investigations were under way in Multan, Islamabad and southern Punjab. He added that the identities of those involved were being withheld during the investigation.
NCCIA expands action against online exploitation
Khan said the agency had also arrested a suspect in an online sexual harassment case following a complaint received from Karachi.
He warned that action could be taken against parents who knowingly failed to report crimes involving their children, stressing the importance of protecting minors from online exploitation.
The NCCIA is planning an awareness campaign at universities and schools to educate students and parents about online safety, Khan said. He added that he intended to visit schools in Islamabad personally to raise awareness among parents about monitoring children's mobile phone use and online activities.
The campaign would subsequently be expanded to other parts of the country, he said.
Call centre crackdown and banking fraud warning
Separately, Khan said the NCCIA Islamabad had intensified its crackdown on suspected illegal call centres and identified numerous facilities operating in the capital.
Seven first information reports (FIRs) had recently been registered in connection with call centres, and between 13,000 and 14,000 devices had been recovered in the cases, he said.
The official also warned the public against sharing one-time passwords (OTPs) and personal identification numbers (PINs), noting that fraudulent banking websites could closely resemble legitimate platforms.
He further said Chinese nationals arrested in Pakistan would face legal proceedings under Pakistani law. Following completion of their sentences, their visas would be cancelled and they would be deported, subject to the applicable legal process.
Karachi firms investigated over animated abuse material
In a separate investigation, the NCCIA has uncovered three Karachi-based companies allegedly involved in producing animated pornographic content featuring minors, with 42 people reportedly taken into custody.
NCCIA Deputy Director Shehzad Akbar said the companies allegedly operated in three stages under the direction of a single individual.
According to Akbar, the firms used social media accounts posing as girls and young women to attract clients in the United States and Germany. They allegedly produced animated content depicting minors and real people, supplying material from existing collections as well as fulfilling customer requests.
The companies also allegedly blackmailed clients after selling them the material, he said.
NCCIA Director Tariq Nawaz told Geo News that 42 people had been detained, including 13 who had been formally arrested and remanded into custody by a court.
The investigations highlight the agency’s ongoing efforts to tackle online exploitation, sexual abuse material and organised cybercrime. Further legal proceedings and investigations are expected to establish the individual roles of the suspects and the extent of the alleged networks.