POLICE have arrested two people for allegedly extorting thousands of pounds from the bank account of a man from the Hadleigh area.
The arrests follow a nationwide investigation into forced money transfers over the internet.
A man and a teenage boy from Kent were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to money launder and blackmail.
Their capture comes after a probe led by Suffolk Constabulary into unlawful activity on social networking and chat sites on the internet.
The investigation was launched following complaints from a number of people across the UK.
One internet user from the Hadleigh area was allegedly coerced into transferring thousands of pounds to other users of a chat site.
A 23-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were arrested on Wednesday in a joint seizure by Suffolk and Kent Police and have since been released on bail.
A Suffolk Police spokeswoman said: “The males, aged 16 and 23 and from Ashford in Kent, were arrested on Wednesday by officers from Suffolk and Kent Police and were taken into custody in Kent for questioning.
“They have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.”
Both must return to Folkestone Police Station on January 12 next year.
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