Islamabad:
The National Cyber Crime Research Agency of Pakistan (NCCIA) has discovered a disturbing international child exploitation network that operates from Muzaffarhrh, supposedly directed by a German national named Renz.
The revelation was made by the Minister of the State of the Interior Talal Chaudhry during a joint press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, together with the general director of the Nccia, Dr. Syed Waqaruddin Syed.
According to officials, the network attacked children between the ages of six and ten, most of which belonged to extremely poor families. According to the reports, a so -called “Children’s Club” was established as a front to attract the victims.
The installation presented advanced equipment, including high quality cameras, lighting and recording tools.
Minister Chaudhry revealed that the children initially received money and then blackmailed in the exploitation. The videos were filmed in an environment similar to a study and sold in the dark network for thousands of dollars per day.
It is said that the German suspect traveled to Pakistan for 28 days, during which he trained local operators and established the configuration.
“This was not just a local case. This was an international operation that extended from Pakistan,” said the minister. “We have confirmed that this gang was creating and distributing live content worldwide.”
The NCCIA made an important raid on May 23, with the support of the Local Police and intelligence agencies. The operation led to the rescue of at least six children, who were delivered to the Punjab Child Protection Office. In total, more than 50 children were identified as victims.
Until now, the authorities have registered 178 information reports (FIR) related to child exploitation. Fourteen people have already been sentenced to seven to ten years in prison.
Two suspects linked to this particular case were arrested during the raid, while three remain in general. Efforts are being made to locate and stop them.
It was also discovered that some parents of the victims were accomplices of abuse, either knowingly or accepting money.
“It is heartbreaking to say that in some cases, even the parents were part of this horrible matter,” said the minister.
The NCCIA acted on the intelligence received from the National Center for missing and exploited children (NCMEC) and Interpol based in the United States (NCMEC). The agency operates a 24/7 monitoring system and collaborates with international organizations to track and prevent online crimes against children.
Dr. Waqaruddin added that hundreds of videos of the study were recovered, many of which had already been shared through platforms encrypted such as WhatsApp and Telegram, and then sold on the Dark website.
“This is a great advance. It is the first time that such a large and organized international network has been exposed and interrupted in Pakistan,” said the DG. “We are working closely with the interpol and German authorities to track and arrest foreign suspects.”
He also stressed that Pakistan is now among the 71 countries with access to Interpol’s global databases, which has significantly accelerated international research and cooperation.
Minister Chaudhry emphasized that recent amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) have increased punishments for child exploitation crimes from seven to ten years, fourteen to twenty years.
Crimes are now classified as not in the stock market and not compound.
“We are taking this matter very seriously,” he said. “The prime minister and the Interior Minister have been informed, and we are looking for funds to expand the Nccia offices throughout the country. We want a strong unit of cyber crimes in each district of Pakistan.”
The minister concluded by appealing to the media and civil society to support efforts against child abuse online.
“This is not just the government’s struggle. It is a struggle for our children, our future and our moral responsibility.”
