KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) rescued a 13-year-old girl after officials linked her to a suspected dark web-based network assigning dangerous tasks.
Investigators acted on information from an international agency. Officials said the tip included internet protocol addresses linked to activity in 13 countries, including Pakistan.
NCCIA’s Karachi team traced the Pakistani address. Investigators first examined its user as a possible suspect but later identified the person as a victim.
Officials said the online group had ordered the girl to poison a cat. They alleged that a later task instructed her to seriously harm herself.
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Investigators reached her before she carried out that instruction. Her parents were unaware of the online activity. They told officials they had noticed changes in her behavior during the previous six months.
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NCCIA informed the family about the online interactions and the risks facing the teenager. Investigators are now tracing the accounts used to contact her.
They are also checking whether other children in Pakistan were targeted. Authorities have not identified the suspected operators. No arrests have been announced.
