The photo used for illustrative purpose.

Sumayya Saad, Staff Reporter

Dubai Police arrested an Arab teenager, 15, a few hours after he had been accused of blackmailing a 12-year-old girl on Instagram and threatening to publish her photos on social media sites, Captain Abdullah Al Shehhi, Deputy Director of the Cybercrime Department at the General Department of Criminal Investigations, said.

The girl’s father filed a complaint with Dubai Police in which he said his daughter was subjected to defamation by an unknown person, who impersonated her account and posted her photos on social media sites. The defendant demanded large sums of money to stop posting the photos and end the impersonation, he added.

The security authorities initiated an investigation, tracked down the impersonated accounts and arrested the defendant. After checking the defendant’s mobile phone, the authorities found photos, conversations and impersonated accounts in the complainant’s name.

The defendant met the victim on social media sites, where he obtained photos of her own and began threatening her with these pictures to force her to chat with him.

Every time he used to ask her for more photos and due to her fear of seeking her family’s help, she used to agree to send more photos of her own.

Later, the victim had to seek the help of her uncle after the defendant threatened her with posting her photos on social media sites. The police arrested the defendant who took advantage of his distance learning to communicate with the girl and enter into a relationship with her.