Man arrested for harassment, blackmail

Suspect had befriended victim and captured photos, videos without her consent

LAHORE: The cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a suspect for allegedly harassing and blackmailing a woman by using "objectionable" photos and videos.

The arrested suspect was identified as Haroon, a resident of Lahore. The suspect had befriended the victim, a resident of Sheikhupura. After meeting her in person, he captured videos and photos without her consent. Later, the suspect used this material to blackmail the victim. He extorted Rs0.3 million from her and demanded Rs0.5 million more. The victim filed a complaint with FIA who managed to trace the suspect. Officials also recovered data from the accused’s cell phone. An FIR has been registered against the accused while further investigations are underway.

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This is not the first such incident reported in the city. In March, FIA’s cybercrime wing arrested a suspect, who had been deported from Greece, for attempting to force a woman into marriage by blackmailing her using objectionable pictures obtained through social media.

In December 2018, the cell arrested a Karachi resident for a similar offense. The victim, a resident of Baghbanpura, alleged that the accused, identified as Arif, was blackmailing her on the pretext of establishing a friendship.

She added that he threatened to upload inappropriate videos and photos of her if she did not accept his marriage proposal. The authorities asked the victim to contact the suspect and lure him to Lahore with the promise of marriage. Upon his arrival to Lahore Railway Station, the FIA arrested the accused. The suspect also brought along his family members to Lahore who were sent back to Karachi after interrogation.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2019.