Australian authorities have apprehended two young Nigerian boys in connection with an alleged sextortion scheme targeting an Australian teenager.
The boys, whose identities are being withheld, are said to have driven the teenager to commit suicide, News About Nigeria reports.
Australian law enforcement disclosed that the victim, a teenage boy, exchanged explicit images with an online acquaintance before facing threats and demands for money.
Specific details such as the boy’s age and his residence in New South Wales (NSW) have been withheld to safeguard the privacy of the victim’s family.
Described as “young males” by New South Wales Police, the accused coerced the teenager into paying A$500 (£260; $330) under threat of disseminating sensitive images to his contacts.
“The messages are terrifying, displaying aggression and exerting immense pressure on the boy for monetary payment,” the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) quoted Detective Superintendent Matthew Craft, the cyber-crime commander of the police force, as saying.
This teenager took his own life on the same night late last year.
A global search for the perpetrators was then initiated.
Following extensive investigation, the alleged perpetrators were located in Nigeria and are set to be charged in that country.
They face charges related to the alleged extortion of the Australian boy, but not his suicide.
Sextortion, especially targeting young people, is witnessing a significant rise, the police further detailed.
In recent years, Canada and the US have witnessed several cases of teenagers dying by suicide following sextortion schemes.
Detective Superintendent Craft emphasized the need for affected individuals to report such crimes to the authorities immediately.
“Sextortion cases have surged by nearly 400% in the last 18 months,” he said in a statement.
Encouraging victims to come forward without fear, Craft noted, “These arrests in Nigeria underscore law enforcement’s unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for our youth.”
Meanwhile, SMH revealed that Australian detectives collaborated with counterparts in South Africa and Nigeria, ultimately tracing the suspected perpetrators to a slum in Nigeria with a population exceeding 25 million.
The report also stated that incriminating evidence of attempted extortion against other victims was discovered on the perpetrators’ mobile devices.
