KARACHI: In an explosive revelation, police on Thursday claimed to have apprehended one of the suspected members of a ring of child abusers, who have allegedly perpetrated heinous acts against minor girls and boys for at least a decade.

One suspect is currently in custody, while another of his alleged accomplices have been identified and efforts are underway to arrest him, DIG South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.

The suspect, a fruit vendor, was apprehended by Defence police from Qayyumabad with the help of locals, the officer said.

Investigations are underway, and police are said to have obtained video evidence of multiple incidents of sexual assault against minor boys and girls. Although it is too early to say just how many victims the suspects have assaulted, investigators think they could number over a hundred.

“Police have recovered a mobile phone from his custody containing hundreds of videos filmed in his room that show graphic scenes involving children,” DIG Raza said, adding that he was being interrogated further.

DIG South says efforts underway to track down his accomplices; scores of videos unearthed from phone, USB drive suggest suspect had been preying on children for years

According to police, the suspect came to Qayyumabad in 2016 and started luring and trapping children around 2019. He first opened a grocery shop, and then a juice cart.

When asked how he managed to keep his activities clandestine for such a long period of time, DIG Raza also expressed surprise, saying that the matter came to the authorities’ attention after one of his alleged victims managed to obtain a USB drive from the suspect.

The victim then took the USB to a video shop for the purpose of downloading music onto it, but the shop owner detected the presence of explicit content on the drive and informed area residents, who apprehended the suspect and beat him up before handing him over to the police.

“A USB and the mobile phone are in police custody which contain many such videos,” said the DIG.

Police then approached the parents of the victims, who came to the police station and lodged three FIRs against the suspect. A special team — led by DSP Defence Dr Saifullah — has been set up to investigate the case. The committee also includes the Defence SHO, SIO Defence, and the SIO Women Police Station.

“The team shall make hectic efforts into the cases by utilising all available resources and shall submit reports on a daily basis,” according to a police order.

The FIRs, registered on the complaint of the father of a couple of victims, states that the two girls, aged 10 and 12, had been upset for some days and complained about pain in their body. When quizzed by their mother, they revealed that the suspect had sexually assaulted them.

Another complainant, a labourer, has filed a case on behalf of his 10-year-old sister, who also complained of pain after the suspect took her to his residence on Sept 4, and assaulted her. The act was also filmed, according to the FIR.

A third complainant said that his seven-year old daughter had been silent for one week and also complained of pain.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2025