The Cyber Crimes Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) briefly held a television host of Sindh TV on Wednesday to interrogate him on charges of harassment and blackmail online.
According to agency officials, KTN TV Presenter Sahar Shah Rizvi had approached the FIA with a complaint of online harassment and blackmail at the hands of Sindh TV Presenter Irshad Jagirani.
Read more: A 7-step guide for Pakistani victims of piracy and blackmail
The woman also alleged in a Facebook video that the suspect was harassing and blackmailing her through social networks based on her selfies taken on different occasions.
FIA officials, who requested anonymity, said they had obtained "evidence" from the suspect's cell phone. Officials said they confiscated his cell phone. They said the suspect also confessed his participation in the harassment of the presenter, who is said to be a former colleague of his.
An FIA official said Sunrise that the suspect was fired after the initial formalities were completed, but the legal proceedings against him would continue.
He said an FIR has not registered so far. However, an investigation into the woman's complaint was initiated and due process will continue as the evidence obtained from the suspect's cell phone has been sent for a forensic examination.
When asked about reports that the suspect was released after the plaintiff accepted a written apology presented by him, the FIA official expressed his ignorance of the matter and said the plaintiff could forgive the suspect, if She wanted to do it.
"Since the crime was not recognizable, the hostess arrested was released," he explained.
Meanwhile, the bodies of journalists and the management of Sindh TV He recorded his protest against a raid by the agency in the office of the channel to stop the suspect.
Sindh TV "The director of current affairs, Fayaz Naich, said Sunrise who consider the FIA raid in their head office as a "violation of the sanctity of the media house."
He said that if the FIA had asked the channel, they would have given him the custody of the presenter for investigation. He said the channel supports the complainant, but they see the FIA raid as a "continuation of media attacks" in the country.
The president of the Karachi Journalist Union (KUJ), Ashraf Khan, and Secretary General Ahmed Khan Malik in a joint statement said that the FIA raid on the media house was aimed at "suppressing freedom of expression" .
"If there was a charge against an individual, the institutions should have treated it as an individual case instead of assaulting the media house and harassing the media workers," the body of journalists said.
Reporters covering the procedures of the Sindh Assembly also boycotted the session for some time in protest at the raid on the media house.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1502198/fia-interrogates-tv-anchorperson-over-alleged-harassment-blackmail
