Man arrested for blackmailing, harassing woman

Authorities apprehend accused from his hideout in Sabzazar

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested a man for blackmailing and sexually harassing a young woman on Tuesday.

The victim’s mother filed a complaint with FIA, upon which authorities conducted a raid, arresting Mehar Imtiaz Ali from his hideout in Sabzazar.

FIA Cybercrime Deputy Director Khalid Anis also revealed to The Express Tribune that police had recovered evidence from the man’s mobile phone.

Details show that the victim, a young woman in her mid-twenties, had befriended Ali online. For a few days, they exchanged messages back and forth; trust and intimacy developed in the relationship with time, said an investigation officer.

One day on Ali’s continued insistence, the victim shared personal pictures of herself after which the accused starting sexually harassing and intimidating the girl, the officer revealed.

The girl tried to persuade Ali to delete the pictures, however, her efforts proved futile. Instead, he started blackmailing the girl to meet her in person, the officer added. After failing to persuade Ali, the victim informed her family, who took immediate action.



FIA are currently investigating the matter further and are in the process of completing legal formalities in order to fine him and send him to jail.

A month ago, FIA had arrested a man from Qurtaba Chowk for harassing and blackmailing a girl in a similar fashion. The man in question was able to acquire private pictures of the girl after her friend had sent their mobile phone to be repaired at the shop where he was working. He threatened the victim to pay him a large sum in exchange for the pictures otherwise he would make them viral.

Human trafficker held

Further, the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Cell arrested two human traffickers on Tuesday. The accused men were identified as Muhammad Riaz and Muhammad Ilyas.

In the complaint filed with the FIA, the former was accused of extorting Rs0.75 million for an employment visa for Greece by Shah Nawaz, while the latter was accused of extorting Rs0.58 million for a United Kingdom work visa by Iftikhar Ahmed.

Cases have been registered against the accused men and the FIA are investigating the matter further.

Meanwhile, the FIA arrested three men working at travel agencies and a currency exchange. The accused were identified as Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Akhtar and Adeel Ali. FIA teams also recovered €1,000, Rs0.1 million and seven passports found in their possession. FIA are investigating the matter further.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2018.