PESHAWAR: A father-son duo in Peshawar has been arrested for allegedly “abusing and sexually extorting” a minor girl in the United States after illegally accessing her Snapchat account.
The father-son duo was arrested by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), according to deputy director of the agency’s Cybercrime Wing, Tahir Khan. However, the father was later released after his son “admitted to the crime”.
According to a first information report (FIR), the inquiry was initiated after the agency received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US that a minor female was a victim of sextortion by a suspect living in Peshawar.
The FIR stated that the victim’s Snapchat account was “taken over by an unknown subject” on June 1. The suspect locked the victim out of her account and threatened to release her nude photo if she did not “chat on the web”.
The suspect communicated with the victim using an Instagram account. The FIR further stated the victim, as well as law enforcement agencies, tried to contact Snapchat to get the account deactivated. In the meantime, the suspect sent the minor victim’s nude photo to her contacts on Snapchat via direct messaging.
Following an administrative subpoena, Facebook provided information related to the Instagram account the suspect was using to the FBI, which then forwarded it to the FIA in its communiqué.
The investigation agency obtained a search and seize warrant and conducted a raid on the suspect’s home, arresting the father-son duo. The father said that although the mobile number was registered in his name, it was used by his son.
His statement was “ratified and accepted” by his son, following which the father was released on a bail bond. “The accused was interrogated and admitted that he had got illegal access to the minor victim’s Snapchat account,” the FIR stated.
It added that a few pictures of the minor were also found in the suspect’s phone. “There is ample evidence available which rightly connects the accused to the offence,” it said, adding that further investigation would continue.
