In Azerbaijan, a couple was selling personal correspondence of WhatsApp users

In Azerbaijan, individuals who illegally monitored WhatsApp correspondence have been convicted.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to Qafqazinfo, a criminal case has been initiated against a Sumgayit resident M. Majidov, born in 2000, and his peer S. Ibragimova from Gazakh under Article 182 of the Criminal Code (Extortion).

During the investigation, it was revealed that M. Mejidov worked in the field of information technology and some time ago began an unofficial marital relationship with the mentioned woman. They created an Instagram page under the name "Gunay Agayeva," offering services to track WhatsApp correspondence and hack encryption.

After this, the couple received numerous requests. Citizens wishing to track the correspondence of certain individuals sent the numbers of people they were interested in to the fake page. The couple provided these services for monetary compensation, receiving payment to a bank card.

They sold the personal correspondence of strangers to "clients" at various prices, using technical methods, including installing WhatsApp on two phones with one number.

However, later the couple began to blackmail some "clients." They demanded additional sums of money, threatening to reveal the fact of surveillance of personal correspondence. In this way, the man and woman extorted amounts of 200, 400, and more manats from several citizens.

Realizing they had become victims of blackmail, the citizens contacted the police, after which a criminal case was initiated.

The case was considered in the Sumgayit Court for Serious Crimes. At the trial, the accused stated that they did not know about the criminal nature of their actions. By court decision, both received 5 years of imprisonment. M. Mejidov, who was under house arrest, was taken into custody right in the courtroom on April 3. The execution of S. Ibragimova's sentence has been postponed until her young children reach the age of majority.