-
Pakistan’s specialized agency has arrested a significant suspect for allegedly participating in a foreign group that participates in distributing and selling child exploitation files across social media platforms and the dark web.
-
The suspect, identified as Asim Mahmood Qasim, admitted to committing horrific sexual acts with two of his close relatives, including his cousin and his niece.
-
The NCCIA collaborated with international authorities from countries such as Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and Portugal to trace Qasim’s online footprint.
Pakistan’s specialized agency, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, has apprehended the primary suspect, Asim Mahmood Qasim. The suspect had been implicated in international syndicate assigned to the distribution of child exploitation material with children via social media apps.
Qasim, a citizen of Lahore’s Ichhra area, admitted to committing horrendous acts with his close relatives. He confessed to engaging in these horrific acts over a prolonged period, even capturing the videos of some and selling them on the dark web.
Qasim’s Victims and Horrendous Acts
Reports from local Pakistani sources revealed that Qasim partnered with a group of seven individuals who operated internationally for more than 14 years. The suspect sexually confessed to sexually exploiting two young girls, who were his niece and his cousin, starting in 2008. He then sold the videos of these heinous acts on the dark web.
Qasim’s first victim, his niece, was merely 2.5 years old when he started the abuse, using explicit videos to manipulate the children to commit these acts. He further continued the abuse until 2022, recording and sharing the videos online.
The NCCIA Takes Down Asim Mahmood Qasim
NCCIA’s Technical Assistant, Anis Ur Rehman, started the investigation, tracing it back to Singapore. Rehman collaborated with international law enforcement agencies from nations such as Portugal, Australia, Singapore, and Brazil to trace the suspect’s digital footprint.
A year after the commencement of the investigation, the NCCIA apprehended Qasim. Officers also found more than 50 videos of the horrendous abuse, some of which were already flagged by worldwide agencies.
Sources revealed that Qasim was extremely crafty in his methods, and the agencies successfully arrested him after a year-long investigation that led to his identification and subsequent arrest.
The NCCIA commenced the international operations “Roads” and “Iceberg,” with the help of the Interpol, Australian Police, and other foreign institutions.
Notably, Qasim’s groups took part in distributing disturbing content on Telegram and WhatsApp, using the names “Rainbow” and “Mallowdale ken”.
Following his arrest, law enforcement agencies recovered social media evidence, hard drives, and mobile phone data, and filed a case against him.
Additionally, the NCCIA noted that Qasim’s alleged connections in Portugal and Brazil as reported by Interpol and other foreign agencies. Soon after, the agency began obtaining further evidence concerning the issue.
