Two women arrested on charges of blackmailing Kabul men 

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said Sunday that two young women suspected of blackmailing celebrities and prominent figures in Kabul have been arrested on charges of extortion.

In his daily 6:30 am meeting, Saleh stated that police detained the women in an operation in PD3 of the city.

“Under the direction of the 6:30 am meeting, the PD3 police succeeded in arresting two stylish girls who were extorting money from well-known and famous people,” Saleh said.

The girls were identified as Husna and Shaima, and are accused of having threatened men who refused to pay them money. Saleh added they would threaten to file a complaint of sexual harassment with the Human Rights Commission and to contact the men’s families if their victims failed to pay over money.

According to Saleh, a number of their victims paid the women money in order to save face and avoid possible consequences. 

The two women have targeted victims for a few years, Saleh said.

Saleh further stated that one of the main problems with regards to crimes like this is the shortage of women in the judiciary and police force.

“This imbalance has limited the government’s access to half of society in terms of investigations and criminal and legal issues,” he noted adding that in some cases, the government has no access to addressing such crimes involving women.