Lahore: National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Punjab arrested four suspects from Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan during a province-wide crackdown against online harassment, blackmail and misuse of social media on Wednesday.
According to NCCIA spokesperson, the agency arrested Haroon Qureshi in Lahore, who was allegedly involved in repeatedly harassing women through various social media platforms, issuing threats and causing mental distress. Digital evidence recovered from the suspect was being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
In Faisalabad, NCCIA arrested Abdul Rehman and Muhammad Ayaz. Initial investigations revealed that the suspects had allegedly blackmailed a married couple using objectionable material and extorted money from them. During the raid, officials recovered two mobile phones, WhatsApp numbers and objectionable digital content related to multiple women, which had been sent for forensic analysis to identify additional victims and possible links.
In a separate operation in Multan, the agency arrested Farhad Abbas on charges of sharing a woman’s photographs and videos on social media and blackmailing her. Investigators were reviewing the suspect’s digital record to identify possible accomplices and other victims.The spokesperson said forensic examination of the recovered digital evidence was underway in all cases and investigations were being conducted in accordance with legal requirements.The NCCIA urged the public, particularly women, to immediately report incidents of online harassment, blackmail, fake social media accounts or any other cybercrime so that timely legal action could be taken against those responsible.