Karachi man arrested for alleged child exploitation, blackmail of US minors

Authorities arrested a man in Karachi over allegations of child pornography and blackmail following a complaint from the US Consulate.  

Law enforcement officials confirmed on Thursday that the suspect, identified as Agha Sarwar Abbas, was taken into custody during a police raid at his residence in Rizvia Society on March 11. 

Abbas’s illicit activities were exposed after a special agent from the US Department of State shared information about his involvement in retaining explicit content of minors and extorting money from them through blackmail on several online applications.

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Authorities have booked Abbas under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which criminalises child pornography and online exploitation.  

According to Ameer Ali, an investigator with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s cybercrime wing, a judicial magistrate granted police a five-day physical remand to interrogate the suspect.  

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Preliminary investigations revealed that Abbas  used a fake identity, Brandon Liechier, to contact minors via Whereby.com, Google Meet, Snapchat, and 411.com. He is accused of coercing victims into sharing inappropriate content by threatening to expose their personal information.  

During a court hearing, police informed the magistrate that Abbas had confessed to his crimes. A digital forensic analysis of seized devices, including laptops and an iPad, confirmed the presence of explicit content.  

Officials further stated that Abbas allegedly collected minors' personal details, including their home addresses, and used this information to gain their trust before blackmailing them. He is also accused of extorting money from victims under threats of leaking their videos.  

The court has remanded Abbas into police custody until March 18, as investigations continue.