Brother accused of stealing sister's phone to blackmail her with private photos

Cairo: For days, a woman in southern Egypt believed she was being targeted by strangers who had found her missing mobile phone. 

Police say the investigation instead uncovered an alleged betrayal much closer to home, with her brother accused of stealing the device and helping to blackmail her.

The case emerged after a woman in her thirties from Al Ghanayem district in Assiut Governorate reported that her phone had disappeared while it was in the possession of her brother. 

Soon afterwards, she began receiving threatening calls demanding money in exchange for not publishing highly private photographs and personal material on social media.

Police investigations later concluded that the woman's unemployed brother, who has a previous criminal record, had not lost the phone as he claimed. Instead, investigators allege that he stole it before selling it to another suspect, whom authorities described as a dangerous repeat offender. 

Prosecutors said the pair agreed to use the contents of the phone to extort the victim and split any money obtained through the scheme.

Security officers tracked the suspects through the threatening calls and arrested both men during a police operation. According to prosecutors, the brother later confessed during questioning to stealing the device and conspiring to blackmail his sister. 

Both suspects are facing charges including theft and blackmail as investigations continue.