Islamabad:
Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has found a disturbing international exploitation network operating from Muzaffargarh, allegedly led by a German national named Renz.
Revelation was made by the Prime Minister of Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry during a joint press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday with NCCIA HERFORE Director Dr. SYED WAQARUDDIN SYED.
According to officials, the network targeted children between six and ten years, most of whom belonged to extremely poor families. A so -called “children’s club” was allegedly set up as a front to attract victims.
The facility contained advanced equipment, including high quality cameras, lighting and recording tools.
Minister Chaudhry revealed that children originally got money and later blackmailed for exploitation. The videos were filmed in a studio-like environment and sold on the dark web for thousands of dollars a day.
The German suspect is said to have traveled to Pakistan for 28 days where he trained local operators and established the setup.
“This was not just a local case. This was an international operation that was run from Pakistan,” the minister said. “We have confirmed that this gang created and distributed live content globally.”
A large raid was carried out by NCCIA on May 23 with the support of local police and intelligence agencies. The operation led to the rescue of at least six children handed over to the Punjab Child Protection Bureau. In total, more than 50 children were identified as victims.
So far, the authorities have registered 178 first information reports (FIRs) related to the utilization of children. Fourteen individuals have already been sentenced to seven to ten years in prison.
Two suspects attached to this special case were arrested under the raid, while three remain largely. There is effort to find and understand them.
Some parents of the victims also turned out to be complicit in the abuse, either consciously or by accepting money.
“It is heartbreaking to say that even the parents were in some cases part of this horrible business,” the minister said.
NCCIA traded on intelligence received from the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Interpol. 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 were recovered from the studio, many of which had already been shared via encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram, and later sold on the dark web.
“This is a big breakthrough. This is the first time such a large, organized international network has been exposed and disturbed in Pakistan,” said DG. “We work closely with Interpol and German authorities to track and arrest the foreign suspects.”
He also emphasized that Pakistan is now among the 71 countries with access to Interpol’s global databases, which have significantly accelerated investigation and international cooperation.
Minister Chaudhry emphasized that recent changes to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) have increased penalties for exploitation crimes from seven to ten years to fourteen to twenty years.
The violations are now categorized as non-accessible and non-connected.
“We take this case very seriously,” he said. “The Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior have been informed and we are looking for funds to expand NCCIA offices across the country. We want a strong cybercrime in each district in Pakistan.”
The Minister ended by appealing to the media and civil society to support the efforts against online abuse of children.
“This is not just the government’s struggle. It is a struggle for our children, our future and our moral responsibility.”
