Two teenagers arrested in eastern Georgia over blackmail, suicide case

Police in eastern Georgia have arrested two teenagers in connection with an alleged blackmail case that investigators said had led to a man taking his own life.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs on Friday said officers from the Kakheti police department detained two suspects born in 2006 and 2007 in the town of Lagodekhi.

Investigators said the pair have been accused of extortion committed as a group, violating the privacy of an individual for financial gain and driving a person to suicide.

The ministry said that during the summer of last year the suspects allegedly demanded money from a man born in 1994 and published photos and videos depicting aspects of his private life on social media.

Authorities said the man died by suicide shortly after the material was shared online.

Police said the suspects were arrested following a series of operational and investigative measures.

If convicted, the offences carry a potential sentence of up to nine years in prison.