LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested 10 suspects allegedly involved in online child sexual exploitation, blackmail and illegal online betting.
NCCIA Lahore Zone Additional Director Atif Ameer told a press conference here on Monday that the agency had arrested a suspect involved in the online sexual exploitation and blackmail of minors living abroad.
“The suspect used a fake identity on social media to contact underage children, gain their trust and coerce them into producing objectionable content before threatening to circulate it online. A laptop and a mobile phone were seized for forensic examination,” he said.
The additional director said the agency used an artificial intelligence-based monitoring system to conduct technical analysis and obtained a search warrant from the relevant court before carrying out the operation. Forensic examination of the seized devices was under way.
In another operation, he said, three law students were arrested for allegedly using AI to create fake Canadian identity documents and passport photographs. Four mobile phones, four laptops and printed copies of fake Canadian passports were recovered. He said the documents were being used to facilitate the opening of bank accounts in Canada and online financial fraud.
In a separate operation in LDA City, Lahore, two suspects identified as Wajid Ali Jafri and Aman Ali were arrested in a payment card fraud case. Five point-of-sale (POS) machines and four mobile phones were seized. A case has been registered against the suspects while efforts were under way to arrest another suspect, Najaf, who was allegedly involved in supplying the POS machines.
Atif Ameer said the agency had also arrested four suspects during a raid in Bahria Town, Lahore, for their links with an illegal online betting network. One computer, one laptop and six mobile phones were seized for further examination.
He said the suspects used online betting games and special offers to cause financial losses to US citizens. The network owner, identified as Zaeem, was still at large, while investigators were analysing data recovered from the seized digital devices.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2026
