Khaberni - In a notable security development, the Egyptian authorities announced the retrieval of the fugitive businessman Amir Al Hilali, concurrently with stringent sentences against cyber extortion crimes.
In the framework of implementing final judicial rulings, and under direct instructions from the Attorney General, the Egyptian authorities succeeded in retrieving fugitive businessman Amir Al Hilali, known in the media as «The Car Scammer», after pursuing him abroad through international judicial cooperation mechanisms.
The International Cooperation Department at the Attorney General's office undertook the necessary legal measures, where an international arrest warrant was prepared for the accused, and the Egyptian authorities submitted a formal request for his extradition through judicial cooperation channels, with ongoing coordination with the relevant foreign bodies. These efforts resulted in the successful retrieval operation in collaboration with the Egyptian Interpol, leading to the delivery of the accused and presenting him to the competent prosecution for legal action.
In a separate judicial context, the third circuit at the Assiut Criminal Court issued a 15-year prison sentence against an unemployed man, after his conviction in a case of electronic extortion where he used social media to lure citizens and extort money from them.
The details of the ruling revealed that the accused created a fictitious account on «Facebook» under the name «Sheikha Amira Al Masriya», claiming through it the ability to heal with the Holy Quran and to remove magic spells, exploiting some victims' psychological needs and their simplicity to gain their trust and encourage them to communicate with him.
The case number 6337 for the year 2024 crimes in Badary dates back to several official complaints received by the General Department for Information Technology at the Ministry of Interior, where citizens reported being extorted after communicating with the fake account. The investigations clarified that the accused would request personal photos from the victims, then later use them to threaten them with public exposure on social media in exchange for money, exploiting their fear of scandal and reputational harm.
The investigations by Captain Karim Amro, an officer in the Department of Crimes against Accounts and Information Technology, confirmed the accuracy of the events reported in the complaints. The examination and tracking efforts identified the accused to be Mahmoud E. M., 22 years old, residing in Al Nawawra village belonging to Badary center, Assiut governorate.
The investigations showed that the accused directly threatened one of the victims demanding money in exchange for not publishing her photos, before the security forces managed to arrest him. Confronted with digital evidence and investigations, he confessed to committing the electronic extortion incidents attributed to him, leading to his referral to the Criminal Court which issued its stringent verdict.
