Erbil police arrest extortionist who drove girl to suicide

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil's Police Directorate reported the arrest on Friday of an extortionist who drove a girl to commit suicide through constant threats to publish her private photos on social media.

"On Apr. 12, a 20-year-old girl, Aryan Mohammed Khalil, a student at the Technical Institute, disappeared in Erbil. Her father submitted and registered a legal complaint," police spokesman Lt. Col. Hogir Aziz told a press conference.

"On Apr. 21, the girl's body was found in a building under construction inside the city of Erbil on Kirkuk Road," he added. "It turned out that the girl had thrown herself from the top of that building."

Aziz also revealed that "the Erbil Governorate Police Directorate conducted extensive investigations on this matter."

"After obtaining information from the girl's father, it became clear that there was a person who was the cause of the accident," he said.

"Then we obtained information from her colleagues at the institute," he added. "It turned out that this person was blackmailing her on a continuous basis."

The police identified the person threatening her on Facebook. After investigation, police tracked down the person's residence in Rapareen and arrested him. The suspect confessed to constantly threatening the girl by telling her he would post her private photos online.

Aziz said that the suspect's mobile phone was seized. It contained many photos showing that he was blackmailing other girls in this way too. A file has been opened for him, and legal measures will be taken against him.

Aziz called on families exposed to such threats and blackmail to inform the police, saying they would do everything necessary to help them.