By A.L. RICALDE
Contributor
POLICE arrested a man who attempted to force a freelance model into meeting and sleeping with him using social media as his virtual casting couch.
The Police Regional Anti-Cybercrime Group arrested the suspect, Renan Villanueva, of Zone 4, Barangay Iponan, this city, during an entrapment on Wednesday.
Villanueva’s arrest came a day after the same anti-cyber crime group from Camp Alagar and the Gingoog police raided an apartment in the eastern city in Misamis Oriental and arrested a group that allegedly extorted money from men overseas using video recordings of the unsuspecting and naked victims who were lured into cybersex.
Chief Insp. Ignacio Gamba, the police group’s leader, said his men arrested Villanueva inside Room 233 of Middleton Apartelle in Barangay Carmen.
Unknown to Villanueva, the woman earlier went to the police to seek help because the suspect allegedly threatened to upload nude photos of her on the Internet unless she agreed to have sex with him.
Gamba said Villanueva was already with his would-be victim when police barged into the room and pounced on him.
The woman alleged that Villanueva posed as a recruiter who promised to give her a modeling break.
Gamba said investigation showed that the woman was initially asked to send photos of her in skimpy outfits and sports brassiere. Later, the woman was allegedly asked to send her nude photos.
Gamba said Villanueva used the nude photos in his attempt to scare the woman into meeting him at Middleton Apartelle where he allegedly planned to take advantage of her.
Police said they suspected it was already a modus operandi, and that it was not the first time for the suspect to demand sexual favors from women in exchange for not uploading their nude photos.
“Wala pud siya nangayo og kuwarta sa victim,” said Gamba, pointing out that the suspect only wanted to have sex.
Gamba said Villauneva would be charged with violation of RA 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The two cases of cyber crimes in this part of the country this week prompted Gamba to caution netizens, especially those active in social media, to be cautious in sharing their personal information and private photos to people they only met online.
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