Cops catch man extorting P60K from model wannabe

A MAN ended up behind bars over the weekend after he allegedly demanded P60,000 from a woman in exchange for not uploading her nude photographs on the internet.

Lonny Lou Beltran was arrested in a follow-up operation on Saturday morning by members of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) based on the complaint filed by the 21-year-old victim.

PNP-ACG head Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said  the victim told authorities that she was contacted on Facebook by a woman from Singapore who offered her P27,000 a month to model underwear.

The “recruiter” then instructed her to send revealing photographs of herself for “make-up purposes,” the victim said, adding she was assured the pictures would be kept confidential.

However, a certain Devan George contacted her on May 13, forwarding her half-naked photographs to her Facebook accounts, including that of her mother and sister.

The victim finally sought the police’s help after another man named Carlo Cruz—later identified as Beltran—messaged her on Facebook, demanding P60,000 and her cell phone number.

When she told him that she could come up with just P49,000, Cruz told her she could have sex with his three friends who would pay him P3,000 each.

The PNP-ACG set up an entrapment operation on June 2 after the suspect told the victim to leave the money at a designated pickup point in Quezon City. He later contacted her again to complain why she left him just P2,000.

The ACG, however, tracked him down at his condominium unit in Quezon City. A search led to the recovery of the marked money from the victim, as well as computers, cell phones and the SIM card he used in his extortion scheme.

Authorities said that Beltran would be charged for violating Republic Act 9995, robbery and extortion under the Revised Penal Code in relation to Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.