Police have arrested a 23-year old man who demanded $5000 from a woman and threatened to post nude photographs of her on the Internet.

On 29 June 2010 at about 9.00 pm, a 24-year-old Chinese woman reported to the Police that she had been receiving numerous SMSes from an unknown mobile phone number demanding $5,000 from her, failing which nude photographs of her would be uploaded onto the Internet. She subsequently discovered that her photograph had uploaded to a website advertising sexual services.

Upon receipt of the report, investigators from Central Police Division sprang into action and swiftly established that the subscriber of the mobile phone number which was used to send the threats was not the culprit. Undeterred, the investigators quickly worked on other leads and managed to establish the identity of a possible suspect.

On 30 June 2010 at about 3.00 pm, a 23-year-old Chinese man was arrested at Bras Basah Road in connection to the case. He was found in possession of a mobile phone which contained the threatening messages sent to the victim. A computer notebook and thumb drive were also seized from the suspect. Preliminary investigation revealed that he had also targeted another victim.

The suspect will be charged in Court 26 on 2 July 2010 for Putting A Person In Fear In Order To Commit Extortion, under Section 385 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, he can be sentenced to an imprisonment term between two to five years and with caning. He will be remanded in Central Police Division for further investigations.

Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Tan Hung Hooi, commended his officers for their excellent investigative follow-up which resulted in the arrest of the suspect.