FIA arrests a man who threatened a woman with sharing pictures on social media

In its effort to curb online harassment on social media, the Cyber Crime Wing of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has recently arrested a man from Kohistan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) for allegedly harassing and blackmailing a woman through social media.

A senior FIA official associated with Cyber Crime unit on condition of anonymity, told Express Tribune that a female resident of Mansehra district filed a complaint with FIA’s online complaint cell, stating that a person had sent her a threatening message, claiming he would share her pictures on social media if she refused to meet him.

After receiving the complaint, FIA “verified the complaint from different angles” and formed teams to trace the blackmailer. After some struggle, he eventually got arrested and booked under the relevant section of the Cyber Crime law.

FIA official was of the view that previously, people would not come forward and succumb to threatening messages they would receive, hence problems were created especially for women. With awareness among the general public and their confidence in the law enforcement agencies, people have started registering their complaints and their issues are being resolved through proper channel.

Apart from FIA’s National Response Centre for Cyber Crime (NR3C), there’s another helpline for Cyber Harassment in Pakistan that addresses the issues related to online abuse. The Cyber Harassment Cell provides a free, safe, gender-sensitive and confidential services on legal advice, digital security support and psychological counseling to the ones who seek their help in online harassment.