LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) arrested three suspects on Tuesday in cases of cyber harassment and blackmail across Punjab.

In Lahore, the agency arrested Azeem Jafri, a resident of Faisalabad, in connection with a complaint of online harassment and defamation. According to the NCCIA, the suspect had been using online platforms to harass and defame the complainant, Syed Muzaffar Iqbal Zehrazai. A mobile phone was recovered during the operation.

In two separate operations, the agency arrested Jamshed Mahmood Khan in Multan and Sajjad Sarwar in DG Khan.

Khan is accused of sharing a woman’s objectionable data over WhatsApp, issuing threats and blackmailing her. Sarwar faces the same allegations — sharing a woman’s objectionable data via WhatsApp, threatening her and attempting to extort her. A mobile phone containing WhatsApp-related material was recovered from him.

NCCIA Punjab head Muhammad Ali Wasim said the agency would continue acting against individuals using cyberspace for harassment, blackmail, threats and privacy violations.

The arrests come as digital blackmail cases — particularly those targeting women through messaging apps — continue to make up a large share of the agency’s Punjab caseload.