Karachi police have arrested a man, Sameer Khan, for allegedly hacking into more than 100 women’s mobile phones and social media accounts to extort and manipulate them.

During interrogation, Sameer admitted purchasing malicious hacking links for just Rs 5,000from a seller in Lahore, which he used to target women on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. He said he sent the infected links to gain unauthorised access, break into Google accounts, and download all of their phone data — including private photos and videos. According to investigators, Sameer then used the stolen content to build trust with the victims, befriend them, and later pressure them into meeting him face-to-face. Unemployed and educated only up to seventh grade, he claimed to have learned these hacking methods through an online group. His final attempt — targeting a woman from Ranchore Lines — led to his arrest.

Law enforcement officials said they recovered more than 450 obscene videos from Sameer’s devices. His victims were mostly women from middle-income households, whom he lured by posing as someone helping them make money online. Police praised a brave young woman from Ranchore Lines, whose phone had been hacked, for helping them trap Sameer. She reported the hack to her family, who worked with police to arrange a meeting — where he was arrested and evidence was seized.

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Authorities are now working with the FIA Cyber Crime Wing to broaden the investigation; they are also checking whether Sameer sold or shared the stolen data on the dark web.