A surveillance image released by Erbil police shows the moment a young woman, under threats, hands over her family’s money and gold to two individuals before they flee the scene.
Six arrested in Erbil over blackmail targeting young woman
ERBIL — Six suspects were arrested in Erbil after allegedly blackmailing a young woman into handing over her family’s money and gold jewelry under threats of exposing private photos, police said Tuesday.
The arrests followed an official complaint filed by the victim’s family, according to Karzan Salih, spokesperson for the Erbil Police Department.
“After a citizen filed a formal complaint about a burglary at his home, and following an intensive investigation, it became clear that six individuals had threatened his daughter by promising to publish inappropriate photos of her,” Salih told 964media.
“Out of fear of scandal, she gave them all the money and gold in the house by placing it in a bag and handing it over,” he said.
CCTV footage released by police shows the woman handing a bag to two individuals, who then quickly flee the scene. Police said the act was carried out under coercion.
All six suspects are residents of Erbil governorate and are between the ages of 22 and 25. Police said their identities were confirmed, arrest warrants were issued, and the suspects were apprehended. The investigation remains ongoing.
The Erbil Police Command urged the public to report threats or cases of blackmail. “We emphasize the importance of caution to avoid such incidents,” the department said in a statement.
Separately, on April 7, police in Qaladze — a district in Sulaymaniyah’s Raparin autonomous administration — arrested a man accused of blackmailing hundreds of women via messaging apps including Viber, WhatsApp, and Snapchat, according to a statement from Raparin Police.