Police bust nude photo blackmail syndicate

The Police Special Fraud Unit, PSFU, Lagos, has apprehended three suspects over an alleged cyber blackmail and extortion scheme involving threats to release nude photographs of a victim unless ransom was paid.

The Unit’s spokesperson, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them.

“Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

“The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

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Ewhubare said that upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects.

“Investigations revealed that one of the suspects, gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device.

“Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches, ” he said.

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

The spokesperson said that CP Ojapinwa reaffirmed the PSFU’s commitment to tackling cybercrime and urged the public to protect their personal data.

“Ojapinwa reiterates the Unit’s commitment to combating cyber-enabled crimes and protecting citizens from exploitation.

“He also advised the public to safeguard their personal data, exercise caution when using digital devices, and promptly report any form of harassment or cybercrime to the police, ” Ewhubare said.

NAN