KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has rescued a 13-year-old girl in Karachi who was allegedly targeted by an online network linked to the dark web and instructed to carry out acts of animal cruelty and self-harm.
The agency launched an investigation after receiving information from a foreign intelligence agency about suspicious online activities linked to a group allegedly involved in child exploitation.
According to NCCIA Additional Director Tariq Nawaz, the agency received a tip-off and an email address about the suspected group and relevant internet protocol (IP) addresses. Investigators traced the digital footprints to Karachi and found that the person linked to the activity was a victim rather than a perpetrator.
The girl had been contacted through social media platforms and messaging applications by dark web agents using concealed online identities. The group assigned her a series of tasks involving animal cruelty and self-injury, Nawaz said.
According to the investigation, the girl had already completed an initial task by poisoning a cat. She was subsequently instructed to seriously harm herself, but the NCCIA team reached her before she could carry out the next task.
The agency visited the girl’s home, seized her electronic devices for examination and informed her parents about the situation. Her family had been unaware of her online activities.
The girl’s parents told officials that they had noticed changes in her behaviour over the past six months but had not connected them to her internet use.
Nawaz said the investigation was ongoing to identify the accounts used to contact the girl and trace those operating the suspected network. Authorities are also examining whether other children in Pakistan may have been targeted by the group.
No arrests have been announced so far.
The NCCIA has urged parents to monitor their children’s online activities, remain alert to unusual behavioural changes and be aware of the potential risks children may face on social media and messaging platforms.
Read More: NCCIA issues stern warning against fake social media profiles of women
Earlier, NCCIA on Monday issued a stern warning against creating fake social media profiles of women, leaking their personal data and images, and blackmailing them online.
In a statement shared on social media, the NCCIA said that blackmailing women and leaking anyone’s personal data were cybercrimes punishable under the law.