A Pakistani national was indicted for allegedly using his cellphone to take photos of a 13-year-old child under her dress while she shopped at a store.
On October 19, while inside Target in Selden, the minor victim was in the card aisle with her father. The father noticed that a man, later identified as Aqeel Ahmad, was allegedly crouched down next to his daughter, holding his phone next to her bare leg near the hemline of her dress.
The father immediately confronted Ahmad, but Ahmad allegedly fled. Later that day, the father saw Ahmad sitting in his car in the Target parking lot and confronted him a second time, taking photographs of the vehicle and license plate before contacting the police. After locating and arresting Ahmad, police determined that Ahmad had allegedly deleted the image of the victim’s intimate area from his phone.
On December 4, Ahmad was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis for Unlawful Surveillance in the Second Degree and Tampering with Physical Evidence, both Class E felonies, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor.
Wilutis ordered Ahmad to be placed on supervised release without bail because his charge is considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set, bail. He is due back in court on January 30, 2026, and faces 1-1/3 to four years in prison if convicted on the top count.
“Today’s indictment reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “This defendant’s alleged conduct is both predatory and deeply disturbing. We will confront such acts that violate a child’s safety and dignity with every appropriate legal measure.”