TAWAU: Police arrested a 31-year-old man here in connection with an extortion case involving threats to leak private images of a school canteen worker in Selangor two years ago.
Tawau District Police Chief ACP Jasmin Hussin said the suspect, who resides in Taman Sri Balung, was identified as a person of interest in the investigation lodged in Gombak in 2023.
“The suspect allegedly blackmailed the 29-year-old male victim on 7 Nov 7, 2023, using the Telegram messaging app to send the victim’s intimate images along with threats,” he said, Monday.
The victim claimed the suspect demanded RM500 to keep the images from being released. After complying, he was asked again for another RM500, which he also paid.
However, the suspect later escalated the demand to RM2,000. When the victim refused, the suspect allegedly threatened to distribute the images publicly.
Fearing further threats, the victim lodged a police report at the Gombak station.
The suspect was finally apprehended by a police team last Saturday and is being investigated under Section 384 of the Penal Code for extortion.
Background checks revealed the suspect had previously been fined under Section 22A of the Sabah Local Government Ordinance for a separate case reported in Ranau.
