Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Saturday revealed that an international gang involved in the sexual exploitation of children and selling explicit videos on the dark web has been busted in Pakistan. He said the network was operating from Muzaffargarh and its ringleader is a German national, for whom arrest efforts are underway.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Cybercrime Agency Director General Waqaruddin Syed, the minister said that a five-hour-long operation was conducted on May 23 during which two suspects were arrested and 10 children were recovered. “Six of the rescued children have been handed over to child protection authorities,” he added.

Talal Chaudhry stated that the gang used to make obscene videos of children and sell them on the dark web. He said the cybercrime wing had uncovered a major international network. “This group was abusing children from poor families and filming them to sell the content globally,” he said.

He clarified that the cybercrime wing’s purpose was not to suppress voices but to address crimes in line with modern digital challenges. “We are working on regulating social media. We cannot ignore financial fraud and online harassment anymore,” he said, adding that the government plans to establish cybercrime offices in every district.

Director General Waqaruddin Syed said that over 50 videos involving children aged 6 to 10 had been recovered so far. “The videos were being shared via WhatsApp and Telegram, and sold in international markets,” he stated.

He further added that laws had been amended to increase punishment for such crimes. “Child sexual abuse is now a non-bailable offense in Pakistan. We are collaborating with Interpol to track down all individuals involved in this criminal activity,” said Waqaruddin.

Both officials emphasized the seriousness of the case and reiterated the government’s resolve to bring every culprit to justice.