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Man held for blackmailing sisters over Snapchat in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - The woman told prosecutors she had earlier sent Dh6,000 to the blackmailer when he first threatened her.

A man has been arrested for blackmailing a woman into giving him Dh6,000 after he threatened to publish her photos and those of her sister's on social media.

The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution said on Tuesday that it has ordered the detention of the suspect for seven days as officers investigate the blackmail that happened over Snapchat.

Officers said one of the sisters complained to the public prosecutors after the man threatened to post photos and other information about the sisters.

The woman told prosecutors she had earlier sent Dh6,000 to the blackmailer when he first threatened her. However, a month later, the man asked her to send him another Dh9,000.

After this, the public prosecution monitored her account. "It emerged that the threats were made by a person who was using a fake account."

Prosecutors said they were able to establish technical evidence against the man's involvement in the cyber crime despite his attempts to hide his identity.

Ali Mohammed Al Baloushi, Attorney-General of Abu Dhabi, said: "The suspect had used sophisticated technological methods to hide his identity as he communicated with the victim to blackmail her. But our technical team was able to identify him and track him down."

Authorities have warned people against falling victim to blackmailers who might target them through social media.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com