IMEG, Intel agents nab cop for ‘sextortion’
A JOINT Philippine National Police-Intelligence Group (PNP-IG) and Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) entrapment operation early Thursday morning resulted in the arrest of a cop accused of “sextortion,” officials said.
Arrested during the sting initiated by operatives from the PNP-IG Regional Intelligence Unit 5 (RIU5) was a patrolman assigned to the PNP-IG Service Support Division.
The suspect was arrested by officers from the PNP-IMEG headed by Brig. Gen. Warren F. de Leon and the PNP-IG under Brig. Gen. Andrew T. Cayad following a counter-intelligence operation launched by the RIU5’s Camarines Norte Provincial Intelligence Team, the Journal Group learned.
The sting was conducted amid the continuing effort of the PNP-IMEG and the PNP-IG to go after erring police personnel in line with the intensified internal cleansing effort of the PNP ordered by Gen. Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr.
The suspect was arrested around 12:30 a.m. Thursday in a sting inside the Maharlika Apartelle in Barangay Manggahan in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan triggered by a complaint from the policeman’s ex-girlfriend.
The woman, who happened to be a dealer of military supplies, said that the accused threatened to “spread her nude photos” on the Internet if she didn’t have sex with him again.
It turned out that when they were still in a relationship, the accused managed to take nude photos of the complainant and used them to “demand sex” from her in what appeared to be a case of “sextortion.”
The accused policeman, who will also be facing administrative charges for grave misconduct, is now being held at the PNP-IMEG lock-up facility in Camp Crame, facing charges for grave coercion and violation of Republic Act (RA) 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and RA 9995 or the Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009.
Officials said he will be given due process and the right to explain his side before the proper court.
Under RA 10175, the offense is punishable by imprisonment of the prison mayor or a fine of at least P200,000.
Under RA 9995, spreading nude photos or sex videos of another without his or her consent is a punishable offense. It also punishes the taking of a photo or video of others engaged in sexual activity or with the image of the private area of the person without their consent.
Violation of RA 9995 is punishable by imprisonment of not less than three (3) years but not more than seven years and/or a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P500,000.
