Four teenagers have been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in child pornography, at Sowutoum, in Accra.
The suspects (names withheld), Junior High School (JHS) pupils, who are between the ages of 14 and 17, were reported to have fraudulently obtained nude videos of a 15-year-old JHS girl and attempted to blackmail her.
The Director of the Cybercrime Unit and Child Protection Digital Forensic Laboratory, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Gustav Herbert Yankson, who disclosed these to the Ghanaian Times in Accra, yesterday, said an accomplice, was on the run and being sought by the police.
He said in November 2020, the victim reported at the unit that some people fraudulently obtained nude videos and used them to blackmail her, and the police investigated the case, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
ACP Yankson said one of the suspects was on the same WhatsApp platform with the victim, and “in October 2020, the first suspect obtained the victims phone number from a WhatsApp group and started chatting with the victim using a female name, Janathel through WhatApp.”
He said they became friends and in course of their friendship, the first suspect convinced the victim to send him a nude video.
ACP Yankson said the victim thought she was communicating with another female sent the nude pictures to the suspect as requested.
He said the first suspect upon receipt of the nude videos of the victim sent them to second and third suspects and they used a different WhatsApp number to blackmail her with the nude videos.
“They sent the victims nude to her and threatened to publish same on social media if she does not pay GHC50 every week,” ACP Yankson added.
He said out of fear, the victim paid GHC150 in three tranches into mobile money wallet numbers provided by the suspects.
ACP Yankson said the second suspect sent the victim’s nude pictures to the accomplice and he also sent the same videos to the fourth suspect.
He said fourth suspect sent the video to the victim and threatened to have sexual intercourse with her or he would publish the video.
ACP Yankson said the victim reported the matter to the Unit and police arrested the suspects at Sowutoum, stating that the suspects have been released on police enquiry bail while investigation continued.
He indicated that suspects would be charged with extortion and child pornography, and urged parents to monitor their children who use the internet.