ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cybercrime agency has uncovered an international child sexual exploitation network operating in the Muzaffargarh district of Punjab, resulting in the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of ten children.
Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Tuesday that the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had busted a uncovered a “huge network” involved in the abuse and trafficking of children. The gang was dismantled during an operation conducted on May 23, the minister said.
Minister Chaudhry said an international gang masterminded by a German citizen was operating a child sexual exploitation group in Muzaffargarh where children were groomed.
“They set up a small club where children aged 6-10 years were taught games. They provided state-of-the-art facilities and modern cameras,” the minister said.
Talal Chaudhry added that children from disadvantaged families were “brought there, given money, and then blackmailed” to exploit them, and “their videos were uploaded on the dark web daily and sold for thousands of dollars.”
“Some videos were live-streamed and seen around the world from Muzaffargarh,” the state minister said. “The network was run by a German national and all efforts will be made to arrest him.”
Providing further information, Minister Chaudhry said fifty children had been victimised by the grooming gang, while “ten children were recovered and six were handed over to the child protection bureau.”
He said that on May 23, the NCCIA launched an operation lasting five hours with assistance from other agencies, as a result of which two suspects were arrested.
He said the NCCIA had been working diligently against financial scams, harassment, and other cybercrime, adding that financial scams had become common due to the easy availability of mobile phones and the agency had been taking action after receiving complaints.
Chaudhry added that an international organisation, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), provides information and the NCCIA takes prompt action.
The minister emphasised that regulating social media was a necessity of the time and that Islamabad aimed to bring it under proper oversight.
He stated that adapting to modern challenges was essential and highlighted the cybercrime wing’s recent success in dismantling a significant criminal network.
According to him, the wing’s purpose is not censorship but protection, and the government plans to establish cybercrime offices in every district.
