Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against a Rawalpindi resident accused of using multiple fake social media accounts to groom, exploit, and blackmail minors.
According to the FIR registered at the NCCIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad, the suspect allegedly created fraudulent Instagram accounts posing as scholarship programs to lure children into online contact.
Investigators say the accused manipulated at least two minor boys, recorded obscene and sexually explicit material, and then used it to threaten and blackmail the victims with public exposure.
The case came to light following NCCIA Enquiry No. 239/2026, which found that the suspect deliberately groomed one victim over time, coercing him into sharing explicit videos and images. Authorities also reported that the accused attempted to unlawfully access the child’s Instagram and WhatsApp accounts by requesting verification codes.
A technical forensic analysis of the suspect’s mobile phone revealed extensive evidence of criminal activity. Investigators recovered hundreds of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files and identified ongoing communication with multiple WhatsApp numbers and an EasyPaisa account allegedly used to share, transmit, and sell exploitative content both domestically and internationally.
Further inquiry revealed that the suspect had targeted another minor using a separate fake Instagram profile while impersonating a female. In this case, the accused obtained explicit material and illegally accessed the child’s WhatsApp verification code.
Digital records obtained from Meta confirmed that the fraudulent Instagram accounts were registered using phone numbers linked to the accused, including, in one instance, a number belonging to a victim’s family. Connectivity data showed that the accounts were operated from the suspect’s mobile device and internet connection.
The technical report also noted that the suspect was using a patched smartphone with an illegally altered IMEI number, an act considered electronic forgery under Pakistani law.
The FIR has been registered under multiple sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, along with relevant provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code. Authorities say investigations are ongoing to determine the involvement of other suspected facilitators and abettors identified during forensic analysis.
