HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
The city of Fez was shaken in recent days by a shocking case involving a minor student who had not yet reached the age of eighteen, after a relationship that started on Facebook turned into a criminal incident that ended before the court.
The details of the story go back to September 2025, when the victim met a young man through the digital platform, before the conversations between them gradually developed into direct meetings, in a scenario that has become repetitive with the expansion of the use of social media among minors.
However, that virtual relationship ended in a tragic way, after the suspect lured the victim, on February 25, 2026, to an isolated place near the Al-Gharba cemetery in the Belkhayat neighborhood, not far from the preparatory school of Mohamed Darwish, where she was subjected, according to what was stated in the complaint submitted by her mother, to assault and indecency under threat.
The security services began their investigations, which led to the arrest of the suspect, before he was presented to the Attorney General at the Court of Appeal in Fez, who decided to refer him to the Criminal Chamber, where he is expected to appear before it in a session on March 12, 2026.
This case brings back to the forefront the risks associated with relationships that arise through the digital space, especially for minors, where some criminals exploit the trust that arises through virtual conversations to lure victims to isolated places, which prompts community activists to renew the call to raise awareness among families and girls about the danger of excessive trust in internet acquaintances, and to emphasize the need for caution and reporting any suspicious behavior before virtual relationships turn into real tragedies.
