Iraq dismantles electronic blackmail network in Diyala, arrests two suspects

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's National Security Service said it has dismantled an organized electronic blackmail network in the Baladruz district of Diyala province, arresting two suspects in a sting operation. The agency said the network lured victims into compromising situations, threatened to publish the material on social media, and demanded money in return. The investigation began after a citizen filed a complaint, according to the service. After obtaining judicial approvals, security forces set up a sting and caught the first suspect red-handed while receiving 4 million Iraqi dinars from a victim. The suspect's statements led officers to the second suspect, who was detained at the scene. Officers seized two mobile phones used in the blackmail scheme and a vehicle linked to the operation. The detainees and the seized items were handed over to the relevant authorities for legal proceedings, the service said, without providing further details. Separately, Iraq's Defense Ministry said two days earlier that security forces had arrested six people, including four women, in an operation in central Babil province on charges of human trafficking.