The police in Anambra have arrested a four-man suspected syndicate comprising two males and two females who specialised in sex blackmail and extortion of money from their victims.

Police spokesman Toochukwu Ikenga disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists in Awka on Thursday.

Mr Ikenga said the gang specialised in taking nude pictures of victims and threatened to post them online unless they paid money.

The spokesman gave the names of the suspects as; Okechukwu Ogoejiofor, 36, Nonso Nwizu, 34, Esther Nwafor lfeanyichukwu, 21 and Obianuju Nduba, 20.

He said the suspects were arrested at Ajakpani village, Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area for alleged conspiracy, demanding with menaces and stealing.

Mr Ikenga said the suspects used social media to lure their unsuspecting male victims into fake love/friendship and thereafter take them to a room where they engaged them in foreplay.

According to him, Obianuju Nduba engaged the victim in a foreplay while other members of the gang forced themselves into the room.

“They took nude pictures and videos of the victims, which they use to force the victims into transferring huge sums of money to them.

“They usually threaten to publish the nude pictures and videos on social media if the victims fail to comply and also dispossess the individual of his personal belongings,” Mr Ikenga stated.

The case would be charged to court once investigations were concluded, the police spokesman said.

He quoted the Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, to have warned members of the public to be wary of the activities of criminal elements who have taken their trade to social media.

NAN