KARACHI: Investigators probing three companies busted for allegedly creating pornographic cartoons or animations featuring child characters and selling them to foreign clients found that the companies had hired young digital illustrators and animators without informing them of the nature of the work, it emerged on Sunday.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had claimed to have busted three firms and arrested their owners/ partners and employees on Oct 23 for their alleged involvement in “digital manipulation to alter cartoon/ animated characters to create nude and sexually explicit content”.
It also claimed that the explicit content was being created and handled through digital means for the purpose of obtaining unlawful financial benefits.
However, the agency booked the held suspects for offences under Sections 3 (unauthorised access to information system or data), 13 (electronic forgery), 14 (electronic fraud) of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (Peca) read with Sections 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
NCCIA investigator claims ‘cartoon porn’ was created for foreign clients
On Saturday, when the held suspects were produced before a magistrate for remand, counsel representing some of the employees pleaded that their clients were not directly involved in the alleged offences and they were merely doing their job to make ends meet due to rising inflation.
When contacted, an NCCIA source told Dawn that the companies had approached graphic designers through digital media and other channels, and that the designers only learned about the nature of the work after being hired.
The source said most of the employees working at the firms were young illustrators hired at monthly salaries between Rs25,000 and Rs40,000.
During the initial interrogation it was revealed that the suspects used to create digital “child-like” characters and animated them as explicit content, the source said, adding that no real children were involved in the animations.
They claimed that the firms received projects from “foreign clients” to create digital animations involving child characters in explicit acts. They added that the content was created as animation on designing software.
Two held for impersonating army officers
The NCCIA, Karachi Zone, on Sunday claimed to have arrested two suspects in Korangi Industrial Area for allegedly impersonating Pakistan Army officers and fraudulently obtaining money from innocent citizens.
The held suspects were identified as Muzammil Qureshi and Hamza Aslam.
“The suspects used to pose as senior military and government officers.”
The suspects reportedly exploited the name and reputation of the Pakistan Army by falsely claiming to have influence and connections within the military and government departments, said the NCCIA statement.
“They allegedly collected substantial amounts of money from citizens on the pretext of arranging transfers, postings, and other official and government-related matters, while misrepresenting themselves as authorised military officers.”
Through these fraudulent representations, the suspects allegedly deceived citizens and obtained money by making false promises of facilitating official work.
A criminal case has been registered against them under relevant sections of Peca and the PPC.
Imtiaz Ali also contributed to this report.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2026
