BERLIN , Germany ( CNN ) -- Germany 's richest woman has said a former lover has threatened to release pictures of them together if she does not pay him millions of euros ( dollars ) , according to her spokesman . Susanne Klatten holds a 12.5-percent stake in BMW . Susanne Klatten 's spokesman Joerg Appelhans told CNN Tuesday that the BMW heiress alerted police in January this year that she was the victim of fraud and blackmail by a man he identified as Mr. S. Appelhans said the man had been threatening since autumn 2007 to release pictures of their `` meetings '' together . Klatten `` came to the conclusion that the relationship with Mr. S. was of a solely criminal nature , '' Appelhans said . Some German media reports say Klatten is one of four rich German women who have been preyed on by the same gang . `` His goal was from the beginning to con her and to blackmail her into giving him money . She rigorously notified authorities even in light of the uncomfortable public repercussions this would have for her . The ensuing criminal investigation led to the arrest of the perpetrator , '' Appelhans added . `` The blackmailing with pictures of the meetings they had began in the fall of 2007 . First , the blackmailer demanded a loan of several million euros . Later , he attempted to solicit a much larger sum . '' Anton Winkler , from the Munich state prosecutor 's office , confirmed that an investigation has been opened and that a man called Helg Scarbi was arrested in January and is in custody in Munich . He declined to give further details . Rome daily La Repubblica , quoting documents German investigators sent to Italian prosecutors , has reported that the suspect allegedly tried to obtain €40 million ( $ 51 million ) from Klatten , according to The Associated Press . Klatten , the daughter of the late BMW chief Herbert Quandt , holds a 12.5-percent stake in the German carmaker and a 51.1-percent share of chemical company Altana . In 2007 Forbes magazine listed her as the world 's 68th richest person , with a personal fortune of $ 9.6 billion . CNN 's Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report . Copyright 2008 CNN . All rights reserved.This material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . Associated Press contributed to this report .
Munich 's richest woman says she is being blackmailed for one of euros . CNN heiress says man threatening to release pictures of their `` meetings '' Germany state prosecutor says man was arrested in January this year .