Online tutor poses as girl, blackmails law enforcer

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Authorities in Makilala, Cotabato arrested on Thursday an online tutor for allegedly extorting money from a Davao City-based law enforcer whom he had an “intimate relationship” through online chatting.

Major Arniel Melocotones, chief of the Makilala Municipal Police Station (MPS), identified the suspect as Jude Fundar of Purok-32 in Poblacion, Makilala.

Melocotones said the suspect posed as a girl whom the law enforcer had fallen in love with through exchanges of online messages.

He used as alias the name, “Hannah de Guzman.”

The relationship between the law enforcer and “Ms. De Guzman” has allegedly became intimate that the victim shared some of his video files and pictures that exposed his private body parts through chat.

The victim, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons, told authorities in Makilala that he started to doubt about “Ms De Guzman” when she started to ask for money.

Worse, he said, was when the “girl” allegedly blackmailed and threatened him to pose online his video files if he refused to give her money.

On February 13, the victim deposited the cash to “Ms De Guzman” through a moneycash-transfer remittance center.

De Guzman reportedly told him to deposit the money to Fundar.

Around 3 p.m., on February 13, the Makilala police arrested Fundar when he was about to withdraw the money from the remittance center located in Poblacion, Makilala.

Melocotones said the suspect was immediately placed in their custody while the case for violating Republic 9995 or An Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Photo and Video Voyeurism is being prepared against him.

The laws says that “photo or video voyeurism” is the act of taking photo or video coverage of a person or group of persons performing sexual act or any similar activity or of capturing an image of the private area of a person or persons without the latter’s consent.