Two KNUST Students Arrested for “Sextortion”

Two students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been remanded into police custody by a Takoradi Circuit Court for their involvement in a “sextortion” case.

The students, Jerome Enyam and Ebenezer Adam, both 19 years old and residents of Fijai and Kojokrom respectively, face charges under the Criminal Offenses Act and the Cyber Security Act.

The prosecutor, D/SGT Robert Mensah, informed the court presided over by Her Ladyship Harriet Charway that the accused conspired to extort money from their victim, Rhyndolf Owusu Hammond, a former KNUST student. The incident began when Rhyndolf recorded a sexual encounter with his girlfriend and saved the video on his laptop. His friend, Ekow Wilson, transferred the video to his phone and, unbeknownst to him, one of the accused airdropped the video to their phone and shared it.

Subsequently, the accused harassed and threatened Rhyndolf, demanding GHC1,800.00 to prevent the video from being released on social media. On November 7, 2023, the accused increased their demand to GHC2,500 through an anonymous message.

The victim reported the incident to his father, who then involved the Police Intelligence Directorate in Takoradi. This led to the arrest of the accused and the retrieval of the explicit video from their phones. The case continues as investigations proceed.