NCCIA arrests two suspects over child abuse video network

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency has arrested two men accused of recording and sharing videos of child sexual abuse, in a case that began with an alert from a United States child-protection organisation and has put a Skardu resident in custody.

ProPakistani reported on Tuesday that the tip came from the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, after a social media platform detected suspected abuse material and flagged it. The information was passed to Pakistani authorities.

Sajid Ali, a resident of Skardu, was arrested on October 26, according to The Nation, as cited by ProPakistani. Investigators said suspected abuse material was recovered from his mobile phones, including videos made in Pakistan and material that originated in other countries.

Questioning led to a second arrest on October 29. Officials allege that man recorded the sexual abuse of his own young child and sent the footage to Sajid Ali in exchange for money, and investigators said Sajid Ali paid Rs 7,000 for one video. The second suspect told investigators he had filmed it at Sajid Ali's request, according to the report.

Officials said Sajid Ali was active in Telegram groups used to circulate such material, contacting members, claiming to hold further videos and urging others to share similar content. Asked about his motive, he described it as "mental satisfaction", ProPakistani reported.

The report said the recovered material included videos of children as young as one year old.

The case was registered on October 26 at the NCCIA's Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad under Pakistan's cybercrime law and the Pakistan Penal Code. Investigators have asked for bank statements to check for financial transactions linked to the suspects, including possible international payments.

At an Islamabad court, Investigating Officer Sub-Inspector Muhammad Waseem Khan sought eight more days of physical remand to examine the suspects' electronic devices and social media accounts and to identify possible accomplices. The court was told Sajid Ali had already spent six days in physical remand and the second suspect three.

Judicial Magistrate (West) granted four additional days of remand for each suspect and directed the NCCIA to produce both again on November 6.