By Jhon Casinas
A construction worker who allegedly extorted money from a 28-year-old woman in exchange for deleting her lewd videos taken two years ago was arrested by police in an operation in Mandaluyong City Monday.
Mark Anthony Rosario, 31, was nabbed in an entrapment operation while claiming the P1,500 cash he demanded from the victim in front of a store in Barangay Addition Hills at around 4:30 p.m.
Based on the complaint, the victim said she was working as a guest relations officer (GRO) at a KTV bar in Mandaluyong City two years ago when she met the suspect who was one of their customers.
The victim told reporters they were drinking at a private room when she suddenly felt dizzy after downing a few bottles of alcoholic drinks. When she woke up, she found herself naked and lying on the floor. The male customer was gone.
But to her surprise, the victim said she received a message from Rosario on June 14 asking about her.
During their exchange of messages, she said Rosario sent her a copy of their sex video through her Messenger and threatened to upload the video online and send it to her friends and family.
Rosario reportedly demanded for P1,500 in exchange for deleting the video. He reportedly said he lost his job and had to pay his rent.
To stop the suspect from sharing the videos, the victim agreed to Rosario’s demand and sent the money through an electronic remittance service.
But little did the suspect know that the victim already sought the help of the authorities.
Eastern Police District-Special Operations Unit (EPD-SOU) chief Major Darwin Guerrero said combined teams of EPD-DSOU, District Intelligence Unit, and the District Anti-Cybercrime Unit then launched an entrapment operation.
When Rosario was about to claim the money, law enforcers deployed in the area immediately collared him.
Guerrero said the police recovered from the suspect's possession the mobile phone containing the said sex video.
Rosario is currently detained at the Pasig City Police detention cell facing charges of robbery extortion and violation of Republic Act 9995 (The Anti-Video and Voyeurism).