Force multiplier who posed as lawyer nabbed

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A woman who pretended to be a lawyer was arrested in an entrapment operation in Barangay Sum-ag here last Thursday.

Police Captain Rondyl Tapang, head of Police Station 9, identified the suspect as Jonelly Lacson, 41, of the said village. She is a member of the National Anti-Crime & Community-Service Group Organization (NACGO) Force Multiplier.

Tapang said Lacson’s arrest came after a 29-year-old complainant reported to the police that the suspect was allegedly demanding P30,000 to process the release of the complainant’s boyfriend, who was jailed for a drug offense.

But Tapang said that the complainant’s boyfriend was already convicted, even before Lacson offered her services.

The victim started transacting with the suspect at a salon, where the latter is working.

Tapang said that Lacson initially asked for P5,000 from the victim, but the latter only gave her P1,000 in July.

A series of conversations followed over social media until the suspect was allegedly pressuring the victim to give her P30,000 by the end of October, Tapang said.

This prompted the victim to ask for police assistance until the entrapment operation was launched.

Tapang said that the suspect even mentioned some prominent names to make the victim believe that she was really a lawyer.

Lacson will be facing charges for estafa, coercion, extortion, and usurpation of official function, according to Tapang.

Despite the involvement of a force multiplier, Tapang said that they considered it an isolated case.

Meanwhile, three persons also surfaced at the police station yesterday, following the arrest of Lacson.

These persons were also allegedly victimized by Lacson, according to Tapang.