Jan 29, 2025
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
A judicial magistrate in Karachi has sentenced a man to two years in prison for digitally harassing and blackmailing his former girlfriend by sharing her explicit images with him and sending them to her fiance.
The verdict, delivered by Civil Judge & Judicial Magistrate-I Yusra Ashfaq on January 18, 2025, found the accused guilty on three counts under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
The case surfaced after the woman filed a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime Reporting Centre in August 2021. According to court documents, she had been in a relationship with the accused Anas for three to four years, during which he persuaded her to share intimate images and videos in 2019.
The situation escalated when Anas began using this material to blackmail her for more explicit content.
The court heard that when the woman’s family arranged her engagement to another person, Anas retaliated by sharing her private images and videos via WhatsApp with her fiancé, sister, and aunt on June 22, 2021. This action prompted the victim to seek legal intervention.
The prosecution’s case was built on both testimonial and digital evidence. Five witnesses testified, including the victim, her fiancé, and her uncle. Key technical evidence came from FIA officials who conducted the raid leading to Anas’s arrest at Marhaba Dairy in Karachi on September 9, 2021.
Forensics gave final evidence
A crucial element in securing the conviction was the digital forensic analysis of the mobile phone of the accused. The Digital Forensics Laboratory of FIA’s Cyber Crime Zone Sindh confirmed that obscene videos and pictures were in fact transmitted from phone numbers linked to Anasand sent to multiple recipients.
The investigation also revealed that the Gmail account, associated with the device, contained evidence linking the accused to transmitting the explicit content.
In delivering the verdict, Magistrate Ashfaq rejected the defence’s arguments about minor discrepancies in witness testimonies and the absence of certain witnesses.
The court emphasized that in cybercrime cases involving social media platforms, forensic analysis provides reliable scientific evidence to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Punishment under PECA
The accused was found guilty under three sections of PECA 2016: Section 20(1): Offenses against dignity of a natural person; Section 21(2)(b)(c): Offenses against modesty of a natural person; and Section 24(2)(d): Cyberstalking.
For each count, Anas received a sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 30,000, with the prison terms to run concurrently. In case of default on the fines, he would face an additional 20 days of imprisonment for each unpaid fine. The court extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Criminal Procedure Code to the accused, allowing the period of detention before conviction to be counted as part of the sentence.
The case highlights the growing issue of digital harassment and revenge porn in Pakistan, demonstrating the judiciary’s commitment to addressing technology-enabled crimes against women.
The verdict sends a strong message about the serious consequences of misusing private digital content and the legal system’s capability to prosecute such offenses using forensic evidence.
The court ordered the confiscation of the case property (the mobile phone and related evidence) in favor of the government, to be disposed of according to law after the expiry of the appeal period.
The accused was taken into custody immediately after the verdict to begin serving his sentence.