New Evidence Emerges in Senegal’s Notorious Kocc Barma Digital Blackmail Case

Written by: Seringe S.T. Touray

Senegalese investigators have reportedly unlocked the iPhone 16 of El Hadji Babacar Dioum, the man accused of operating under the alias “Kocc Barma,” uncovering sexual videos and contacts that could lead investigators to more people allegedly involved in supplying him with private and intimate material.

Dioum was arrested in Dakar in July 2025 after a seven-year manhunt in one of Senegal’s longest-running cybercrime investigations. He is accused of running a digital blackmail network that obtained intimate videos, published or threatened to publish them without consent, and demanded money from victims.

After his arrest, investigators examined his computers and other digital devices, reportedly recovering more than 9,000 files, including hundreds of sexual videos, material involving minors, and records of victims who allegedly paid to prevent their content from being published.

More than a year later, Seneweb, citing Libération, reports that Dioum was taken from prison to Senegal’s Special Cybersecurity Division on Wednesday, where investigators unlocked and examined his iPhone 16 in his presence.

The phone reportedly contained additional videos and the numbers of several people suspected of supplying him with private and intimate material that was obtained or shared without the consent of those involved. The discovery could help investigators identify more people connected to the alleged network.