LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested a suspect allegedly linked with a child pornography ring in Lahore on Friday.
The suspect, identified as Ihtesham Siddiq, was detained from a prominent housing society by the FIA’s cybercrime circle on the information given by an affected child.
Siddiq reportedly belongs to Kharian but is residing in Lahore. The law enforcement agency officials claimed to have recovered a large number of inappropriate photos and video clips from his possession.
According to the FIA, the suspect is a part of a child pornography ring. It added that Director FIA Abdul Rab Chaudhry had received information regarding the suspect’s involvement in befriending children through social media, entertainment and gaming channels. The report added that the detained man had been involved in uploading indecent photos of children online.
During the investigation, the cybercrime cell approached the local court, following which the suspect was remanded into custody. The cell further said forensics are being carried out on Siddiq’s mobile and laptop, saying doing so would likely determine the suspect’s links with an international child pornography ring,
In January, the Islamabad High Court had rejected the post-arrest bail plea of a suspect accused of child pornography, ruling that the instigation and distribution of such heinous content are patently offensive and extremely as well as atrociously harmful for society.
“We must not normalise and ignore its far-going consequences in society and its children. The impact of child pornography on society is remarkable and enforces the normalisation of child exploitation by way of providing them safety and protection. The impact of child pornography on children is unimaginable and has a long-term daunting consequence on the child,” the judge was quoted as saying.
