Gang selling kids videos on dark web busted

ISLAMABAS: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has said that a gang in Pakistan that was involved in child pornography and selling videos of children on the dark web has been traced, led by a German national, while two people have been arrested and 10 children have been rescued.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, while holding a press conference in Islamabad along with the Director General of the National Crimes and Investigation Agency (NCIA), said that an international gang, led by a German national, has been traced and was sexually exploiting children in Muzaffarabad.

He said that a small club was set up in Muzaffarabad, where a facility was set up to teach children between the ages of 6 and 10 different sports, and the latest cameras were also installed here.

Talal Chaudhry said that here children from poor families were first subjected to sexual abuse by paying money and then blackmailing them and their videos were sold on the dark web for thousands of dollars on a daily basis, and this nefarious activity was being operated live by this gang all over the world and a German was doing all the work of selling this whole matter and the live videos.

Talal Chaudhry further said that we are taking necessary legal measures to reach this person, 50 children were affected by this gang, out of the children who were rescued from there, 6 children were handed over to the Child Protection Bureau.

He said that it is unfortunate that the families of some children were also found involved in this heinous business, action has been initiated against them too, whether they are the parents of the children or other relatives.

Talal Chaudhry further said that the international organization ‘National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’ reports sexual exploitation of children and our national crimes and investigation agency takes immediate action on it.

He said that so far 178 FIRs have been registered regarding child exploitation and other matters, 197 people have been arrested and 14 people have been sentenced.

The Minister of State for Home Affairs said that a five-hour long operation was conducted on May 23, in which 2 arrests were made and 10 children were recovered, out of which 6 children were sent to child protection.

On this occasion, Director General NCIA Waqaruddin Syed, giving details, said that the Special Branch informed us that a foreigner comes and goes to Deen Panah village in Muzaffarabad, whose activities are very suspicious.

He further said that we took action there in collaboration with the Special Branch, we conducted an operation there on the night of May 22 and 23, as a result of which 2 people were arrested from there and children were also recovered.

He said that when we went there, a school was set up there, where children were made to do various physical activities, a German citizen used to come here and give regular training, the videos were sent to a German citizen who would sell them on the dark web.