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Mounties in British Columbia say a suspect in Nigeria has been charged over the sextortion of a boy who died in Metro Vancouver final yr, after an investigation spanning a number of nations.
Surrey RCMP say officers responded to the boy’s “sudden” demise final February and an investigation decided he had been the sufferer of “monetary sextortion” after being tricked into sending express images to an individual who posed as a teenage lady.
“The suspect then blackmailed the youth with threats to share the images along with his household and mates until he complied with calls for of buying reward playing cards and sending them to the suspect,” police stated in a press release.
Police didn’t title the boy, however Sgt. Tammy Lobb confirmed in a information convention that he had been appropriately recognized in earlier media reviews, which stated he was a 14-year-old from Surrey who died by suicide.
Police say they decided final Might that suspects in Nigeria had been speaking with the boy, and officers from the Surrey detachment travelled to Lagos final summer season, the place they labored with native authorities to arrest two males.
The Mounties say one man was later launched, whereas Adedayo Olukeye, 26, has been charged underneath Nigerian regulation with offences together with possession and distribution of kid pornography, tried extortion by threats and cash laundering.
RCMP say he stays in custody awaiting trial. They are saying the investigation in Nigeria concerned Surrey RCMP, the FBI, the Australian Federal Police and the Financial and Monetary Crime Fee.
Sgt. Derek Bonner instructed a information convention that the suspects had used social media to speak with the boy and the interplay lasted “solely minutes.”
“It was a short-term communication back-and-forth contained inside someday.”
Police offered a press release from the boy’s household on Tuesday, saying he was an “harmless baby” who cherished life and cherished hockey, and he was taken benefit of.
“As we grieve the lack of our son, we would like different mother and father to know this might occur to anybody,” the assertion stated.
“Speak to your youngsters about web security, and hold the door to communication open, to allow them to come to you for assist.”
Sgt. Dave Knight stated monetary sextortion is a “public security disaster that’s closely impacting youth globally,” together with in B.C.
“On-line baby sexual extortion is a borderless crime, and these offenders have direct entry to our kids by concentrating on them by means of their telephones, cellular units and gaming consoles,” he instructed the information convention.
He stated police “can not struggle these predators alone,” they usually’re urging mother and father and guardians to be taught the indicators that a youngster could also be a sufferer of sextortion.
Surrey RCMP alone have acquired greater than 500 reviews of sexual extortion during the last two years, with 210 in 2022 and 302 in 2023, he instructed the information convention.
Final yr, he stated the victims ranged in age from 10 to 21 years previous, and 21 per cent of victims had been underneath 18. The vast majority of victims had been male, Knight stated.
“It is very important be aware that these are reported incidents, and that we have no idea the overall variety of sextortions that go un-reported,” he added.
“We urge youth and oldsters to come back ahead with this info.”
The announcement in regards to the investigation comes after B.C. final month launched a sequence of measures designed to sort out on-line hurt.
Premier David Eby stated the strikes had been in direct response to incidents such because the demise of 12-year-old Carson Cleland in Prince George, B.C., who police say killed himself after falling prey to on-line sextortion final October.
— Brenna Owen in Vancouver
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Feb. 6, 2024.
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