Dubai: An alleged cyber-crime victim cooperated with police investigators to arrest her online stalker during an undercover operation.

Ami, 43, a businesswoman based in the UK who occasionally comes to Dubai to supervise her newly opened fashion shop says she lived a six-week nightmare when sexually explicit messages on her Facebook page kept on pouring in from an anonymous stalker called "Salu".

Most of the messages were asking her to have sex with him and to join him for clubbing, as he described himself as a "party animal".

"I ignored him for a while but he kept sending me messages and I threatened him I would go to the police. But he kept sending me vulgar messages," said Ami, who took an advice from an investigating officer to change her tone with him so that she could trap him.

On July 5 and while the alleged stalker was on a business visit to Dubai, Ami arranged a meeting with him at a hotel. While they were in the lobby, three CID officers were observing him and the alleged stalker was arrested.

"I am amazed by the professionalism and support from Dubai Police. They were constantly in touch with me even while I was at the UK and within less than 13 hours the stalker was arrested," she said.

According to her, she had to put an end to his harassment because "he will never stop unless he is punished. It is unacceptable for someone to treat anyone is this inhumane manner."

The alleged stalker, an American of Pakistani origin was detained for less than 48 hours and released on bail. His passport and a guarantor's passport are with Dubai Police until the investigation ends and the case is referred to the public prosecution.

The suspect identified as Q.T., 35, works for a leading international IT company in Saudi Arabia and is believed to have a wife and children living there.

Lieutenant Colonel Ali Ganem, Director of Bur Dubai Police Station, said the alleged stalker was arrested in an undercover operation. "The suspect confessed his crime against the victim. We are still investigating the matter and waiting for a report from the forensics before we refer the matter to public prosecution," he said.

An official from the Cyber Crimes Department of Dubai Police said the expansion of social network websites is helping to create more security loopholes as more victims are falling prey to cyber-crime. This is especially common among teenagers who take the opportunity to blackmail each other.

Late last year, a victim of an identity theft talked of her devastating experience after a comment was posted in her name on Facebook, saying that the severe typhoon that battered Manila is "deserved".

The 31-year-old marketing executive in Dubai was battered with thousands upon thousands of messages, emails, and phone calls about the comment that said: "It's a good thing I'm here in Dubai. There might be a lot of sinners back there Philippines. So, yeah, they deserved what happened."

This incident devastated Jacqueline, a Filipina, who had many sleepless nights and who was scared of being in public due to the threats and calls she was receiving.

Are you aware of the rules in place when it comes to networking security? How do you protect yourself in the virtual world? Have you ever come across a similar situation?