The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has rescued a 13-year-old girl in Karachi who was allegedly targeted by a dangerous online network linked to the dark web and given tasks that escalated from killing an animal to harming herself.
According to NCCIA officials, the girl was first instructed to poison a cat. After the animal died, the online group allegedly assigned her another task involving self-harm. Investigators intervened before she could carry out the second instruction and alerted her parents to the danger.
The operation followed intelligence shared by an international agency, which alerted Pakistani authorities to suspicious online activity and provided Internet Protocol (IP) addresses linked to the suspected network.
Officials said the international agency had shared IP addresses associated with activity in 13 countries, including Pakistan. The NCCIA’s Karachi team investigated the Pakistani address to identify the person behind the suspicious activity.
However, investigators discovered that the person associated with the address was a potential victim rather than a perpetrator. Further inquiries led them to the 13-year-old girl, allowing authorities to intervene before she could follow the instructions to harm herself.
Parents unaware of dangerous online activity
NCCIA officials said the girl’s parents were unaware of her involvement with the suspected online network until investigators contacted them.
During questioning, the parents reportedly said they had noticed changes in their daughter’s behaviour over the previous six months but had not linked them to her online activities.
The agency informed the family about the nature of the online interactions and the potential threat to the teenager.
NCCIA investigates suspected network
Investigators are now tracing the accounts used to contact the girl and attempting to identify the people operating them.
Additional Director NCCIA Tariq Nawaz said authorities were investigating how the girl gained access to the dark web and whether other cases involving children could be linked to similar online networks.
Officials are also examining whether other children in Pakistan have been targeted through comparable online activities.
The agency has urged parents to strengthen their supervision of children’s online activities and remain alert to changes in behaviour that could indicate exposure to harmful digital content or contact with dangerous online groups.
The identities of the suspected operators have not been disclosed, and no arrests have been announced. The investigation remains ongoing.
