PESHAWAR: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency has arrested a suspect, identified as Abdul Majeed, in connection with a prolonged online harassment and blackmail case that allegedly led to the suicide of the victim’s brother.
The accused was allegedly involved in circulating objectionable images of a girl and defamatory content on social media platforms for years.
According to officials, the suspect had allegedly been uploading and sharing inappropriate images of the complainant’s daughter on various social media platforms during 2021 and 2022.
He is accused of harassing, blackmailing and mentally tormenting the victim and her family over an extended period.
Investigations revealed that the suspect used multiple fake Facebook accounts to publicly share the images, while also distributing the material through WhatsApp, including through Saudi Arabia phone numbers.
Authorities said the images were sent to the victim’s husband and several other individuals in an attempt to defame and psychologically pressure the family.
Officials stated that the complainant’s husband had passed away several years earlier, leaving her only son as the sole breadwinner of the family.
Due to the continued online harassment and public circulation of the images, the family suffered severe mental distress. The complainant’s only son, aged around 19 to 20 years, allegedly died by suicide on May 25, 2021, after becoming deeply distressed over the ongoing defamation and harassment of his sister on social media.
According to the inquiry, the suspect had been residing in Saudi Arabia during the investigation and continued to evade arrest while allegedly persisting in sharing the objectionable material online.
Authorities revealed that even after the victim’s brother’s suicide, the suspect allegedly continued uploading the images and shared threatening and provocative messages alongside funeral photographs.
Following the completion of the inquiry, a formal case was registered against Abdul Majeed. Officials blocked his national identity card and passport, while a request was also sent to Interpol for his arrest. He was later declared a proclaimed offender and his name was placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).
Authorities said the suspect was taken into custody by immigration officials upon his return to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia due to his inclusion on the ECL.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency was subsequently informed and completed the legal formalities before formally arresting him.
Investigators recovered important digital evidence from the suspect, including the WhatsApp account allegedly used to distribute the objectionable material.
