Civil Police in the state of Ceará arrested a 21 year old man in São Paulo on Wednesday morning, suspected of belonging to the Red Command (Comando Vermelho) criminal faction and of taking part in a scheme to threaten and extort candidates in the town of Forquilha, in Ceará's interior, according to G1. Police did not release the suspect's identity and blurred images of the arrest.

Investigators say the man used social media profiles to carry out the crimes against candidates in Forquilha, a town about 213 kilometers from the state capital Fortaleza. The arrest was carried out by Ceará's Civil Police with support from São Paulo's Civil Police.

The case marks the third arrest of a Red Command member in less than a week over demands for money to allow election campaigning in Forquilha. On August 20, police had already arrested Gean Barboza Fontenele, 28, and Francisco Werlysson Feijão Silva, 19, accused of demanding 200,000 reais (roughly 37,000 US dollars) from candidates for state legislature seats in exchange for letting them campaign in the town.

How investigators found the suspects

According to G1, a phone call used to threaten people connected to Forquilha's mayor, Edinardo Rodrigues Filho, of the PSB party, along with an email linked to that phone number, helped police identify the pair arrested in August. Investigators also allege the two suspects were taking orders from a woman identified as one of the faction's leaders, who is believed to be a fugitive in Rio de Janeiro.

Following Wednesday's arrest, the suspect was taken to a police station and formally charged in the act with belonging to a criminal organization, the same charge applied to the first two suspects arrested in the case. Investigations into the Red Command's involvement in Forquilha's election race continue.