3 online extortionists arrested in Calabarzon stings
AGENTS of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) on Thursday arrested three persons engaged in online extortion during separate entrapment operations in Calabarzon region, a report to PNP chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar said.
PNP-ACG director, Brigadier Gen. Robert T. Rodriguez identified the suspects as Raymond Rafael Gomora, a 29-year-old jobless resident of 620 Purok 5, Bgy. Parian in Calamba City, Laguna, and security guard Reginal Mataya, 43, and his live-in partner Gerlina Manalo, 34, both residents of San Francisco Street in Poblacion 4, Bauan, Batangas.
The official said that Gomora was arrested while claiming the P12,000 he demanded from his victim identified as Fernan Paner, 34, a resident of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.
Rodriguez said that members of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU) 4-A conducted the sting following a complaint from Paner that he received a series of text messages from the suspect who claimed he is an instructor of the guard’s wife who is currently undergoing a Fire Basic Recruit Course at the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
“The suspect identified himself as a BFP trainer and threatened to dismiss the complainant’s wife from their training if he won’t send money to him,” said the PNP-ACG director.
Rodriguez said that during the sting, the suspect was arrested while claiming the P12,000 sent to him by the complainant at a Smart Padala branch in Bgy. Parian in Calamba City at 1:05 p.m. Thursday.
Recovered from the suspect were the money and a cellphone which is now the subject of a technical investigation by the RACU 4-A.
The suspect who was locked up at the Calamba City police jail is now facing charges for robbery-extortion and violation of Republic Act (RA) 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The two other suspects were arrested in a sting conducted in another Smart Padala branch in Bauan, Batangas at 5:25 p.m. Thursday.
Rodriguez said that recovered from the suspects were the money they extorted from a 20-year-old complainant from Quezon City. Both are now facing charges for swindling and estafa and violation of Section 4 and 6 of RA 10175 which pertains to computer-related identity theft.
