Policemen arrested a Dutch national and his Filipina wife, and rescued eight victims in a raid on a suspected cyber sex den in Barangay Cansilayan, Murcia, Negros Occidental, at about 12:30 a.m. yesterday.

Three of the eight victims are minors, a police report showed.

Arrested were Dutch national Bartel Simon Eenkhoorn, 65, and his wife, Melody Bacaron, who were charged for alleged violation of Anti Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 before the Negros Occidental Prosecutor’s Office.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Pepito Gellada, a combined team of policemen and operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group swooped down on the rented house of the two suspects in Brgy. Cansilayan.

One of the victims was reportedly caught in the act of having a sex chat with a customer during the raid.

Records of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation show that Eenkhoorn, who had returned to the Philippines on February 27 this year, has a “balikbayan status”, that will expire on the same date next year.

Recovered from their rented house were six desktop and laptop computers and their accessories, a GE digital camera and a JVC digital video camera.

Police investigations also showed that the victims were initially recruited as house helpers.

Murcia Mayor Andrew Montelibano said the victims were told to “chat” with foreigners through the internet, to the extent of undressing themselves before a video camera, to attract customers.

Montelibano said there were reports that a similar cyber sex den is also being operated in northern Negros by a relative of one of the arrested suspects.

The rescued victims are now under the custody of the Murcia municipal government, pending their turnover to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Mita Chuvy Arguelles, BID local chief, suggested that the police seek the inclusion of the name of the Dutch national in the hold departure order of the BID, pending the resolution of the complaints against him.

The Murcia police and CIDG provincial office were joined by a team of Anti-Cyber Crime Group of CIDG based in Cebu City, headed by Senior Inspector Michael Virtudazo, in conducting the raid.

Virtudazo said trained personnel are needed to handle this kind of situation.

The Dutch national and his wife are now detained at the Murcia police jail.*GPB

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