Two Suspects Arrested in Punjab Cybercrime Crackdown on Blackmail and Online Fraud
Lahore: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested two suspects in separate operations for allegedly blackmailing victims, sharing private content, and carrying out online fraud targeting citizens.
According to officials, the operations were conducted on the special instructions of Director Operations Punjab, Muhammad Ali Waseem, as part of the agency’s campaign against cybercrimes involving harassment and exploitation.
In the first case (FIR No. 122/2026), authorities arrested Haroon Qureshi, who is accused of sending a woman’s private photographs to her husband in an alleged attempt to damage her marital life. Investigators said the suspect was apprehended using digital forensic evidence, and a mobile phone was recovered during the operation.
In a separate operation, the NCCIA’s Faisalabad team raided the Sherwan Kalan area of Abbottabad and arrested Muhammad Anwar, the prime suspect in FIR No. 91/2026.
According to investigators, the suspect allegedly posed as a woman on social media to lure victims into online relationships before blackmailing them with compromising material. Officials said he allegedly extorted Rs40,000 from one victim through Easypaisa and later threatened to share the victim’s private content on WhatsApp after further payments were refused.
The NCCIA said investigations into both cases are ongoing, and further legal proceedings will be carried out in accordance with the law.
