TEN persons wanted for involvement in online extortion across the country were hauled to jail by agents of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) in a string of anti-criminality operations this week, a report to PNP chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar said on Sunday.

Eight of the suspects were arrested in separate entrapment operations triggered mostly by complaints from women whose explicit photos and videos were threatened to be exposed via Facebook by the accused while the two others were arrested on the strength of warrants of arrest issued by the court, said PNP-ACG director, Brigadier Gen. Robert T. Rodriguez.

The nine are now facing charges for robbery-extortion under Article 294 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and RA 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009, the PNP-ACG director said.

One of the suspects identified as Levy Conejos, a 30-year old resident of Road 10, North Bay Boulevard South in Sitio Putting Bato, South Navotas was arrested in a sting inside a Smart Padala outlet in Juan Luna Street in Tondo, Manila on Saturday afternoon.

Rodriguez said that the entrapment operation was triggered by a complaint from a 23-year old female Tondo resident who claimed that the suspect, using the Facebook account ‘Joe Balvez’ demanded P2,000 from her in exchange for the deletion of her explicit photos and videos.

The 2nd identified as Rylle Lopez,27, a resident of La Libertad, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte was arrested in an entrapment operation conducted at Room 6 of CCG Lodge in the same municipality on Friday morning. The suspect turned out to have demanded sexual favors and money from the complainant.

The 3rd, Roel Soriano,30, a resident of Bgy. Nannarian in Peñablanca, Cagayan was arrested while claiming the money sent to a Palawan remittance center in Rosario, Cavite by a 22-year old Bureau of Fire Protection applicant last Friday afternoon.

The 4th identified as Reginald Joshua Cay was arrested in a sting in Bgy. Happy Valley in Socorro, Oriental Mindoro shortly after noon Friday.

It turned out that the suspect posed as a woman and made the complainant believe she was falling in love with him. The suspect managed to get some money from the victim during their online relationship.

The two other suspects identified as Cecile Granada and Ruby Jane Galon, both residents of Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu were arrested in an entrapment operation in Oroquieta St. in Sta. Cruz, Manila last Wednesday.

It turned out that the suspects demanded P5,000 from a resident of Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City who was trying to renew her driver’s license. After getting the cash, the suspects who turned out to be just posing as ‘LTO insiders’ suddenly blocked the complainant from their Facebook account.

The two who yielded several fake driver’s licenses and P2,500 in marked bills are now facing charges for falsification by individual and use of falsified documents and aiding or abetting to commit cybercrime.

The 7th identified as Sherwin Paraiso,25, a public school teacher was arrested in a sting in Bgy. South in General Santos city last Wednesday and is now facing criminal charges.

The operation was launched following a complaint from a 28-year old woman who claimed that the suspect threatened to upload her nude photos at the Facebook Online Landian Group if she won’t have sex with him.

Another suspect identified as Henry Silawan,51, of Bgy. Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City was arrested on Wednesday by PNP-ACG operatives on the strength of a warrant for cyber libel issued by Judge Nelson Leyco of the Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court Branch 27. A P48,000 bail was recommended for the temporary liberty of the accused.

The 8th identified as Eden Dacaldacal,34, was arrested in Tagbilaran City, Bohol by members of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 7 headed by Colonel Mary Ivy Salazar on the basis of a warrant for violation of RA 10175 issued by Judge Jorge Cabalit. A P120,000 bail was recommended for the temporary liberty of the suspect.

The 9th identified as Alvin Caburnay,32, was arrested Tuesday in Sitio Lupa, Bgy. Sapang Daku in Cebu City for violation of RA 8484 or the Access Devices Regulations Act of 1998 and RA 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

The arrest was made amid a complaint from Globe Telecom Inc. regarding the unauthorized sale of Globe Modems online by the accused.

The 10th identified as Jessie Boy Coronejo,22, was arrested in Purok 5 in Bgy. Palawig, San Andres, Catanduanes. Seized from the suspect’s possession were devices being used to commit cybercrime, seven heat-sealed plastic sachets containing shabu and a wallet found to be containing dried marijuana leaves.

The operation was prompted by a complaint that the suspect was recruiting minors to perform lewd acts in front of videocams and selling the lewd acts online to pedophiles.