KARACHI: A stolen USB drive handed to a Karachi shopkeeper by a minor girl has led police to arrest a man accused of sexually assaulting nearly 100 children over nine years, officials said Friday.
The suspect, identified as Shabbir Ahmed, was detained on Thursday after the shopkeeper discovered the device contained hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse. The girl, one of his alleged victims, had stolen the USB from him and taken it to the shop in the Qayyumabad area to copy a movie.
“When the shopkeeper checked the USB, he found nearly 200 clips of abuse, including the girl herself and a vendor he recognized,” Defense police station chief Ghulam Nabi Afridi told Arab News. “He immediately raised the alarm.”
Police arrested Ahmed shortly after the discovery, seizing further evidence including a mobile phone, and a diary containing details of victims. More than 400 clips have so far been recovered, showing abuse of nearly 100 girls, some repeatedly, Afridi said.
“The accused, who moved from Abbottabad in 2011, started abusing children in 2016 and continued this crime for nine years,” he added. “He lured girls from low-income families by offering small amounts of money and committed the abuse inside a shop with the shutter down.”
“Had this minor girl not stolen the USB and brought it for a movie transfer, God knows for how much longer these heinous crimes would have remained hidden.”
Police said the victims were between the ages of 5 and 12. A diary maintained by the suspect contained names and records, including the ethnicity of more than 85 children. The most recent assault, according to investigators, took place on Sept. 4.
According to a police complaint registered by father of one victim and seen by Arab News, the suspect has been booked under Section 376 (3) of the Pakistan Penal Code, which stipulates the death penalty or life imprisonment for raping a minor or a person with mental or physical disabilities.
Police said at least five families have so far lodged formal complaints. Medical examinations are being conducted, and further families are being contacted.
On Friday, a judicial magistrate in Karachi granted investigators five days of physical remand for the suspect, who is being interrogated.
“All evidence has been secured,” Afridi said. “Medical examinations are being arranged, and police will leave no stone unturned to ensure this criminal faces justice.”
Child sexual abuse is widespread in Pakistan and cases have been rising, according to local NGOs.
Rights group Sahil reported 3,364 incidents in 2024, including sexual assaults, abductions, missing children and child marriages. The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) documented 5,398 cases between 2019 and 2023, noting a 220 percent increase in 2023 compared with 2019.
One of the most notorious scandals was uncovered in the town of Kasur in the eastern Punjab province, where between 2006 and 2015 hundreds of videos showing the abuse of mostly male children were circulated illegally, sparking national outrage.
