CUYAPO, Nueva Ecija – Police here have turned to social media in the successful arrest of a “most wanted person” (MWP) accused of raping a minor over five years ago in this town.

After accessing the suspect’s Facebook (FB) account, town police head Lt. Col. Erwin V. Ferry said his men created a “dummy” FB account of a woman and baited him to meet up with “her” at a pre-arranged location as agreed upon during the online-chat.

On Monday at 1 a.m., the 46-year-old suspect, who is a resident of Barangay Sta. Cruz, this town, was finally collared by joint operatives of the Cuyapo Police, the Provincial Intelligence Unit-NEPPO, and the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) during manhunt operations conducted in the vicinity of SM City Sucat in Parañaque City.

“Thru his Facebook po, ginamitan po namin ng dummy account ng isang babae para mag-meet up sila sa SM Sucat, malapit po kase doon ang trabaho niya,” Ferry told the Journal Group, in a text message.

Ferry said Sta. Cruz Barangay Chairman Felipe E. Diag issued a certification attesting that the arrested suspect is the same person using another “alias” in the social media account.

The suspect’s arrest was carried out by an arrest warrant for rape in relation to Republic Act (RA) 7610 issued by the Guimba Regional Trial Court (RTC) branch 32 on November 21, 2017, with no bail recommended.

Ferry said the suspect is now locked up behind bars at the detention facility here for proper disposition.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Steve A. Gosuico