LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested 10 suspects in four separate operations in Lahore targeting alleged online child exploitation and blackmail, counterfeit Canadian identity documents, payment card fraud and illegal online betting.
NCCIA Lahore Zone Additional Director Atif Amir announced the arrests at a press conference on Monday, saying the operations were part of the agency’s ongoing campaign against cybercrime, online financial fraud and unlawful digital activities. In the first operation, the agency arrested a suspect accused of sexually exploiting and blackmailing underage children living abroad.
According to preliminary findings, the suspect allegedly used fake social media identities to contact minors, gain their trust and pressure them into producing inappropriate material before threatening to publish it online.
The NCCIA seized a laptop and a mobile phone, which have been sent for forensic examination. Atif Amir said investigators traced the suspect through technical analysis using an artificial intelligence-based monitoring system and obtained a search warrant from the relevant court. Forensic examination was under way to collect evidence and establish the extent of the alleged offences, he added.
In a separate operation, the agency arrested three law students accused of producing counterfeit Canadian identity documents and passport photographs with the assistance of artificial intelligence. Investigators recovered four mobile phones, four laptops and printed copies of allegedly fake Canadian passports.
The NCCIA said preliminary investigations suggested that the documents were intended to open bank accounts in Canada and facilitate online financial fraud. The seized material was being examined to determine the scope of the alleged operation and identify other suspected accomplices.
In another operation, the NCCIA arrested two suspects, Wajid Ali Jafri and Aman Ali, from Lahore’s LDA City area in connection with an alleged payment card fraud case.
The agency recovered five point-of-sale machines and four mobile phones from their possession. Atif Amir said a case had been registered under FIR No. 243/2026, while efforts were under way to arrest another suspect, identified as Najaf, who was allegedly involved in supplying the machines.
The investigators were examining how the equipment had been used and whether other individuals were involved in the alleged fraud, he added.
In the fourth operation, the NCCIA arrested four suspects from Lahore’s Bahria Town area over their alleged involvement in an illegal online betting network. The agency seized a computer, a laptop and six mobile phones for forensic examination. According to preliminary findings, the suspects allegedly used online betting games and promotional offers to defraud US citizens and cause them financial losses. The alleged owner of the network, identified as Zaeem, remained at large, and efforts to arrest him were continuing, the agency said.
A separate case was registered under FIR No. 250/2026 under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and the Pakistan Penal Code.
Investigators were examining the seized devices to trace financial transactions, establish links among the suspects and determine whether additional individuals were involved.
Atif Amir said protecting children from online exploitation and blackmail, combating cybercrime and preventing financial fraud remained key priorities of the agency. He said action against suspected cybercriminals would continue in accordance with the law. The NCCIA said investigations and forensic examinations in all four cases were under way to establish evidence, identify further suspects and determine the full extent of the alleged offences.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026