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Police appealed to the public to be careful while meeting new friends on the internet. Photo: Warton Li

Hong Kong schoolboy arrested for luring girl to send him nude photos and blackmailing

  • Form Four student told the girl her photos would be posted on the internet if she did not pay him HK$600
  • Police arrested him in Tin Shui Wai on Wednesday and seized his phone
Crime

A 16-year-old Hong Kong schoolboy accused of luring a 12-year-old girl to send him her nude photos and then blackmailing her with the same has been arrested, police said on Thursday.

The Form Four student was caught in a police ambush when he came to collect HK$600 (US$77) in marked money from the girl in Tin Shui Wai on Wednesday, a police source said.

The source said officers were investigating whether there were other victims who fell into his ploy. “Forensic checks will be carried out on his mobile phone to see whether it stored naked photos of others,” he said.

The case came to light when the girl disclosed the incident to her mother and a police report was made on June 25.

The boy had befriended her via video app Tik Tok and later they communicated on instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp.

Concern group says women face common threat of nude photos taken without their consent

In early June, the girl found her social media account was locked and she then sought help from the boy.

“The suspect helped her to fix it in exchange for her [nude] photos,” the source said. After repeated demands, she sent him two nude photos via an online platform.

The source said the girl was told her photos would be posted on the internet if she did not pay HK$600.

Officers arranged a meeting in Tin Shui Wai for him to collect the money. The boy was arrested when he turned up on Wednesday and his phone was seized.

He was arrested for offences such as blackmail and possession of child pornography.

As of 3pm on Thursday, he was being held for questioning and had not been charged. Detectives from the Sau Mau Ping criminal investigation unit are investigating the case.

The offence of blackmail carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail in Hong Kong.

The force appealed to the public to be cautious while meeting new friends on the internet.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Boy, 16, held after girl, 12, blackmailed over photos
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