DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao del Norte — A supposed peacekeeper has turned predator.
A member of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT), identified only as alias Ebrahim, was arrested by police during an entrapment operation after allegedly threatening to leak a sexually explicit video of a woman if she did not yield to his demands.
The suspect, a bachelor and resident of Panosolen, General Salipada K. Pendatun, Maguindanao del Sur, now faces multiple criminal charges including violations of the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009, Grave Coercion, and the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act—all in connection with Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The complaint was filed by the victim, alias Nora, a resident of Maguindanao del Norte. Based on police investigation, the suspect began communicating with the victim in July 2023 while she was working abroad. Under the pretense of online intimacy, Ebrahim allegedly convinced her to take a shower while on video call via Facebook Messenger—secretly recording the act without her consent.
He then used the video to blackmail her, threatening to send it to her family if she refused to comply with his personal demands. Fearing shame and harassment, the victim was coerced into submission.
The trap was set when the suspect arranged a meeting with the victim at Awang Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat. Members of the Datu Odin Sinsuat Municipal Police Station led by Lt. Col. Gieson Baniaga, in coordination with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit – BARMM, Aviation Security Unit, and the Regional Intelligence Action Team-Counter Terrorist Unit, executed a well-planned entrapment operation.
At the rendezvous point, a habal-habal driver approached the victim, claiming he was sent by Ebrahim. In a critical turn of events, the driver agreed to cooperate with authorities, leading them directly to the suspect.
Police seized Ebrahim’s cellphone and identification cards, which may serve as vital evidence. He was immediately brought to the Datu Odin Sinsuat Municipal Police Substation for proper documentation and is now under detention awaiting inquest proceedings.
Authorities stressed that no one is above the law—even those tasked to keep peace at the community level.
“This case should serve as a stern warning,” said a police official. “We will not tolerate any form of exploitation, especially those that prey on the dignity and safety of women.”