August 16, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
A local court has handed over TikToker Bashir Ahmed alias ‘Junaid Jani’ to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on a five-day physical remand in a case involving blackmail, extortion, and the leaking of objectionable videos on social media.
The case was initiated on the complaint of Abdul Saboor Memon, a resident of Shikarpur, who approached the NCCIA with a detailed account of how he was entrapped in an elaborate honey trap scheme. According to the FIR, Saboor stated that a woman named ‘Reshma’ first contacted him online and gradually built trust.
“She befriended me and convinced me to engage in video calls. During one such call, my video was recorded and later manipulated into an objectionable clip,” Saboor told investigators. “I was then threatened that the video would be made public if I did not pay money. Out of fear and shame, I gave them Rs. 4.4 million. But they demanded Rs. 7 million more. When I refused, the edited video was leaked on social media.”
The FIR further records that the ordeal caused the complainant severe anxiety, depression, and humiliation, damaging his mental health and dignity.
Officials registered the case under sections 13, 14, 20, 21, 24, 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 (Amendment Act 2025), read with sections 383, 420, 468, 471, and 506/3 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Arrest
Acting on an informer’s tip, an FIA team traced Junaid to Abul Hassan Isphahani Road in Karachi, where he attempted to escape arrest. Reportedly, Junaid called upon his female relatives to obstruct the arrest, an incident caught on video and widely circulated on social media.
As the chase continued near Rajput Hospital, the suspect allegedly attacked an FIA officer with a butcher’s cleaver, leaving him seriously injured. Nearby Sachal police were called in for support. Eventually, Junaid was arrested along with his relatives, Fahmida Makhdoom, Ghazala, and Kainat, who were also taken into custody.
On Tuesday, the accused was presented before the Consumer Protection Court in Sukkur. His face was covered as he was brought into the courtroom under tight security. The judge remanded him into NCCIA custody for five days of physical remand to allow investigators to pursue leads and gather further evidence.
Officials confirmed that the suspect, who hails from Kandiaro in Naushahro Feroze district, maintained multiple bank accounts, details of which have now been obtained for scrutiny. Investigators believe that the accounts may reveal a pattern of financial transactions linked to other victims.
The case has sparked wider debate on the rising trend of cybercrime honey traps in Pakistan, where victims are lured into online relationships, coerced into compromising situations, and later blackmailed for money. Experts say such cases often go unreported due to the shame and stigma attached, leaving victims isolated and perpetrators emboldened.
For Saboor, the trauma was both financial and psychological. “This has ruined my peace of mind. I felt trapped, ashamed, and humiliated. I suffered anxiety and depression because of what they did to me,” he told the FIA.
The NCCIA has urged the public to remain vigilant against such scams, warning that cybercriminals increasingly exploit social media platforms to target unsuspecting users.
With the suspect now in remand, investigators say they will continue probing the network behind the scheme and ensure accountability for those involved.