Lahore man arrested for harassing, blackmailing woman through 'objectionable material'

Published August 27, 2019
A case was registered against the suspect after sufficient evidence was recovered against him. — AP/File
A case was registered against the suspect after sufficient evidence was recovered against him. — AP/File

The cyber crime reporting centre (CCRC) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a man in Lahore for harassing and blackmailing a woman through her "objectionable" photos and videos, it emerged on Tuesday.

A statement issued by FIA CCRC Lahore Deputy Director Chaudhry Sarfraz said that a complaint was filed by a Sheikhupura resident that his sister was being harassed and blackmailed by a Lahore resident through pictures and videos taken of her without consent.

According to the First Information Report of the case, seen by Dawn.com, the complainant stated that his sister came into contact with the suspect and subsequently met him. During this meeting, the suspect "deceitfully captured objectionable pictures and videos of her" and also stole her cellphone, the FIR stated.

It said the suspect forced the woman to give him Rs300,000 and was now demanding Rs500,000 more through blackmail.

After registering the complaint, an investigation team was constituted by the deputy director of CCRC Lahore which carried out a raid and recovered two mobile phones from the suspect. One of these contained the objectionable content concerning the woman, the statement said.

"After recovery of alleged material and sufficient incriminating evidence, the accused person [...] was arrested and recovered mobile phones were taken into custody by FIA through seizure memo," it added.

According to the FIR, the suspect confessed to his guilt during on-the-spot interrogation.

A case was registered against the man today under Sections 20, 21 and 24 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) read with Section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The investigation of the case has been assigned to Inspector Sabahat Noor.

The development comes days after the FIA arrested two Lahore men in separate cases for harassing and blackmailing as many women, including a Malaysian national, through social media.

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