By MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
A man who allegedly tried to extort P10,000 from a woman he met in an online dating site was arrested by police in an entrapment operation in Parañaque City,Tuesday night.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Guillermo Eleazar identified the apprehended suspect as Ralph John Velasquez, 32, of Dr. Sixto Avenue, Caniogan, Pasig City.
According to Eleazar, members of NCRPO’s Regional Special Operations Unit (RSOU) nabbed Velasquez outside a fast food restaurant on Macapagal Boulevard, Parañaque, around 6 p.m. based on the complaint of alias Maria.
Velasquez was handcuffed by police operatives after embracing Maria who handed the P10,000 marked money to him.
Maria told police that she first met Velasquez in an online dating website sometime in May 2018 and they immediately clicked. They had a mutual understanding and decided to personally meet on the third week of the month.
The initial meeting was followed by another date in June where they checked-in at a motel in Mandaluyong City.
Maria admitted that she had a sexual intercourse with Velasquez and the latter requested to take nude photos of her.
Although she had reservations, Maria said she agreed to please Velasquez because she loved him. The two met again in the latter part of the month.
However, Maria recalled she started getting cold treatment from Velasquez in the early weeks of July. According to the victim, the suspect could no longer be reached through his phone number so she decided to call it quits.
On July 28, however, Velasquez sent Maria a text message, threatening to post her nude photos online if she would not meet him.
Out of fear, Maria agreed to meet Velasquez in a resort casino in Parañaque City, but she learned that the suspect just wanted to borrow money from her.
Maria refused to give Velasquez the money and left him. However, the suspect texted her, telling her he would post her nude photos online.
On Aug. 6, Velasquez sent Maria a message through Facebook which showed her nude photos.
Velasquez allegedly demanded Maria to pay him P10,000 or else he would post the pictures online, but the victim ignored his threat. The threat was repeated for a couple of times, Maria said.
Feeling harassed, Maria sought help from an investigative television show on August 9 which relayed the information to the NCRPO that led to the suspect’s arrest.
Velasquez was detained at the NCRPO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. He was charged with robbery-extortion, violation of Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009, RA 9262 or Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Law and RA 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
