Suspect arrested in child abuse video network, cybercrime official says

Pakistan's National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested a suspect accused of producing child sexual abuse videos and distributing them through an online network that allegedly used cryptocurrency for payments, an agency official said on Sunday.

What is the NCCIA child abuse video network case?

The NCCIA says a father allegedly abused his own children, aged between 4 and 6, and recorded videos that were circulated through a wider network across Pakistani cities. The videos were allegedly sold on Telegram, with cryptocurrency used for payment. The agency says it is still investigating the network's reach.

How did the NCCIA trace the network?

Muhammad Shoaib Khan, additional director of the NCCIA in Islamabad, said in video posts on social media that investigators acted on credible information and worked on the case for about a month. The investigation involved analyzing digital data and using the agency's international contacts to identify suspects.

Khan said members of the network had also abused animals and recorded videos of that abuse.

"This is a horrific case. I think perhaps a case of this nature, in which a family itself is involved in abusing its own children and making videos, has not come to light before in Pakistan's history," Khan said.

Where are the suspects in the network based?

Khan said the alleged ringleader was from Skardu in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Investigators are examining possible connections in Islamabad, Multan and other parts of southern Punjab, and the agency is working to identify other people who may have been involved.

Khan declined to disclose the suspects' identities, saying the agency does not reveal such information in cases of this nature.

What happened in the separate Karachi harassment case?

In a separate case, the NCCIA arrested a suspect accused of harassment and sexual harassment involving a young female victim in Karachi, Khan said. The victim had attempted suicide three or four times because of alleged blackmail and harassment and remained hospitalized, he said.

The NCCIA team in Karachi contacted its Islamabad counterparts, who worked on the case and arrested the suspect within four to five hours. A first information report, the initial police document formally recording a complaint, had been registered in Karachi.

Investigators recovered evidence and secured it for further examination and action against those involved, Khan said. He added that the agency was sharing information about such cases to raise public awareness of online exploitation and cybercrime.