Man arrested for alleged ‘sextortion’ of ex-girlfriend

A man was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly threatening to release private videos of his former girlfriend online unless she resumed communicating and having sexual relations with him. The NBI said operatives of its Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD) arrested the suspect during an entrapment operation at a hotel in Manila on the evening of June 2. Following his arrest, the suspect was presented for inquest proceedings for alleged violations of Republic Act (RA) No. 9995, or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009; RA No. 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, as amended; and grave threats and grave coercion, all in relation to RA No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the suspect’s former girlfriend. Citing the complaint, the NBI said the suspect had threatened to send sensitive videos of the woman to her family and friends unless she agreed to communicate with him and engage in sexual intercourse. The bureau said the complainant was promised that the videos stored on the suspect’s mobile phone would be deleted if she met with him and complied with his demands. Based on the complaint, NBI-AHTRAD launched an entrapment operation after the suspect instructed the woman to meet him on the evening of June 2. The suspect was arrested during the operation.