The Civil Police of the Federal District arrested this Thursday (2) a group of men who pretended to be women on a dating app to extort victims.
According to the investigation by the Cybercrime Repression Police Station (DRCC), the group is led by criminals from the Bento Gonçalves prison, in Rio Grande do Sul.
Seven people, who are out of jail and are part of the scheme being investigated, were arrested. The police also carried out five search and seizure warrants. The actions were in Bento Gonçalves.
Of the seven prisoners, four were already wearing an electronic ankle bracelet for other crimes, according to police chief Eduardo Fabbro, who told CNN.
The investigation shows that the group targeted men with high purchasing power. After establishing contact and gaining the victims' trust, they convinced them to send intimate photographs. With possession of the images, they began an extortion process, threatening to disclose the sensitive content if a payment of around R$20,000 was not made.
To date, the police have identified five victims directly affected in the Federal District, although the number is estimated to be higher.
The prisoners were interrogated and two of them revealed how they acted. The members of the group will be charged with the crimes of extortion, money laundering, corruption of minors and criminal association, with a maximum combined sentence of 28 years.
A CNN contacted the Secretariat of Penal and Socio-Educational Systems about the use of cell phones in prisons and is awaiting a response.
Source: CNN Brasil
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