Seoul: Two people have been formally arrested for allegedly blackmailing South Korean football star Son Heung-min with false pregnancy claims, officials announced. The arrests were sanctioned by the Seoul Central District Court, which issued warrants for a woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s on charges of extortion and attempted extortion, respectively. The court highlighted concerns about the potential for the suspects to flee and destroy evidence.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the woman approached the Tottenham Hotspur captain last June, claiming she was pregnant with his child and demanded money in exchange for her silence. She reportedly sent Son an ultrasound image and managed to obtain over 300 million won (approximately US$215,000) from him. Meanwhile, the man, an acquaintance of the woman, allegedly attempted to extort an additional 70 million won from Son in March but did not receive any payment.

Son Heung-min filed a police complaint last week, asserting that the woman had blackmailed him with a fabricated pregnancy claim. In response, police have conducted raids on the homes of both individuals, confiscating their phones. Authorities plan to continue their investigation, which includes verifying the authenticity of the ultrasound image presented to Son.