FIA arrests alleged cyber blackmailer

Suspect confessed to creating multiple Facebook accounts using the victim's name and photos

KARACHI: The cyber crime circle of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claims to have arrested a young man for allegedly blackmailing a girl via the social networking website, Facebook.

The accused, 29-year-old Fahad Bari, was arrested on Wednesday night during a raid at his residence in Liaquatabad. He was shifted to the crime circle for further questioning, after the registration of an FIR against him under Sections 36/37 read with Section 419 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The cyber crime circle took action on the complaint of Tariq, who had approached the FIA about the harassment of his daughter, M*.



M, in the written application submitted on December 21, 2015, had informed the FIA that she was being harassed and blackmailed through multiple fake Facebook accounts. "Someone is harassing and blackmailing me using a Facebook account in my name and is displaying my pictures," said the complainant. It took around one-and-a-half months to trace and arrest the suspect. "Using technical resources, we found that a single person is using all the fake IDs," said a cyber crime circle official, who wished to remain anonymous.

The suspect used to work at a private call centre in DHA's Tauheed Commercial area and had been using the fake accounts for the past six months. The victim had previously attended a private university with the suspect. "I liked her since we — M and I — studied together but I never told her that I liked her," said Bari, according to the FIA official. "She always chatted with others and always ignored me. Then, after university, I started doing a job and she continued her studies. I decided to blackmail her to take revenge," he added.



"As she had added me on Facebook, I took more than 60 of her pictures and made three different Facebook IDs using her name and pictures depicting her as a 'call girl'," he quoted. The accused is currently on remand and will be questioned more as a case has been registered against him, explained the officer.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th,  2016