Police bust gang accused of live-streaming adult content

RAWALPINDI: Rawat police have arrested 11 suspects, including foreign nationals, after uncovering what officials described as a group involved in live-streaming and uploading obscene videos through pornographic websites.

According to police, the operation was carried out after a team present in a private housing society received information that proclaimed offender Raza Atiq was hiding in a house there. Police said they raided the property, but the suspect allegedly escaped through a secret route after learning of their arrival.

Officials said that during the raid, they found seven women and three men inside a dressing room, where activities were allegedly being broadcast live through cameras. Police said another man who was on the streaming stage tried to run away but was arrested at the scene. He identified himself as Li Guoliang, a Chinese national, police said.

Police alleged that the group was headed by a Chinese national who arranged the production and uploading of explicit videos featuring men and women for online sale. During a search, officials said they recovered a 9mm pistol and ammunition from Li Guoliang and alleged that he could not produce a valid licence for the weapon.

Other suspects taken into custody identified themselves as Li Shaoheng of China, Badrin Ahmed of Kotli and Saad Ahmed of Sector B-17, according to police. Seven women, including a foreign national from Nigeria, were also arrested.

Police said laptops, mobile phones and other electronic devices seized from the location allegedly contained obscene videos. Preliminary inquiries, according to investigators, suggested that substantial amounts of money were being generated through live-streaming and the sale of explicit videos under the direction of the alleged gang leader.

Investigators also said the women told police they had been lured with promises of employment and were later forced into live-streaming and video production.

A case has been registered against the suspects, while Rawalpindi police have sought assistance from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency in pursuing the investigation.

Police spokesman Inspector Sajjadul Hassan said two foreign nationals, two Pakistani men and seven women, including a foreign woman, had been arrested. He said the suspects were uploading explicit videos to various websites and added that further investigation could lead to major developments.