The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has rescued a 13-year-old girl in Karachi who was allegedly instructed by a dark web-linked online network to harm animals and herself.
The agency began its investigation after a foreign intelligence agency shared information about suspicious online activity connected to a group allegedly involved in child exploitation. NCCIA Additional Director Tariq Nawaz said the agency received a tip-off, an email address and related internet protocol (IP) addresses.
Investigators traced the digital footprints to Karachi and found that the person linked to the activity was a victim, not a perpetrator. According to Nawaz, agents using concealed online identities contacted the girl through social media platforms and messaging applications.
The group assigned her a series of tasks involving animal cruelty and self-injury. She had already completed the first task by poisoning a cat. She was then instructed to seriously harm herself, but the NCCIA team reached her before she could carry out the next task.
The agency visited her home, seized her electronic devices for examination and informed her parents, who were unaware of her online activities. The parents told officials they had noticed changes in her behaviour over the past six months but had not linked them to her internet use.
Nawaz said the investigation is ongoing to identify the accounts used to contact the girl and trace those operating the network. Authorities are also examining whether other children in Pakistan were targeted by the group. No arrests have been announced so far.
The NCCIA has urged parents to monitor online activities of their children, watch for unusual behavioural changes and remain aware of the risks children face on social media and messaging platforms.
Separately, on Monday, the NCCIA warned 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 agency said these acts are cybercrimes punishable under the law.