LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has started prioritising complaints against individuals involved in blackmailing, harassing and damaging the dignity and reputation of women, arresting 10 ‘women harassers’ on Saturday in different parts of Punjab.
“The NCCIA is according the highest priority to complaints involving the harassment, exploitation, and blackmailing of women in the digital space,” NCCIA Punjab chief Muhammad Ali Waseem told Dawn.
“While the NCCIA remains committed to addressing all forms of cybercrime and is making every effort to facilitate complainants, cases related to the online harassment, intimidation, and blackmailing of women are being treated on a priority basis,” Mr Waseem said. Given the serious psychological, social, and reputational harm such offences could inflict on victims, the agency was ensuring swift action and dedicated attention to such complaints to provide timely relief and bring perpetrators to justice, he added.
It is pertinent to mention that still a large number of such complaints have been pending with the anti-crime body.
On Saturday, the NCCIA arrested 10 suspects in separate operations carried out in Lahore, Multan, and Faisalabad for allegedly harassing women online, blackmailing them, and using objectionable content to exert pressure on victims. Mobile phones, digital evidence, and other relevant devices were recovered from the suspects and taken into custody for forensic examination.
According to the NCCIA, Mustafa and Arif were arrested in Lahore in two separate complaints involving the alleged online harassment of women. “Similarly, in Multan, Aziz, Tanveer, and Asad were arrested in one case, while Ashfaq and Tahir were taken into custody in separate ones on charges of harassing women through online platforms.”
During operations in Faisalabad, a suspect identified as Fakhar was arrested for allegedly blackmailing his former wife by sending her videos and photographs to her relatives. In another case, Farooq was arrested on charges of harassing a woman online.
The NCCIA said Haseeb was arrested in Faisalabad for allegedly using artificial intelligence (AI) to create fake and objectionable images of a girl, threatening to circulate them on social media, and extorted Rs2 million from her.
It said the digital evidence recovered indicated the involvement of the arrested suspects in online harassment and blackmailing activities targeting women. “Further investigations are underway, and additional legal action will be taken in light of the forensic analysis reports.”
Last week, the NCCIA arrested five suspects for online harassment of women in Punjab.
An official said “swift action” had been taken on actor Momina Iqbal’s complaint of online harassment against ruling party MPA Saqib Chadhar which underscored the agency’s zero-tolerance policy towards the harassment and victimisation of women in cyberspace. The NCCIA registered a case against Chadhar under the Peca Act and he was currently on bail.
Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026