Three more policemen were placed under restrictive custody at Camp Crame in connection with the kidnap-slay of a South Korean businessman last year.
Senior Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG), said the three more cops include the team leader of the supposed operation against Jee Ick Joo in Angeles City in October last year.
All the three and the fourth policeman, SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel who is now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), are members of the AIDG, the anti-narcotics unit of the Philippine National Police.
“As ordered by the Chief PNP (Director General Ronald dela Rosa), the alleged other personnel (involved in Jee kidnap-slay) are now under restrictive custody,” said Ferro.
“They will be undergoing pre-charge investigation. If found guilty, they will be discharged and administratively charged and if they are further found involved in criminal side they will be prosecuted by the court,” he added.
Aside from the four, Ferro said they are still investigating a police colonel whom he tagged as former commander of Sta. Isabel.
The official initially refused to divulge the name of the police colonel whom he said endorsed Sta. Isabel to be absorbed to the AIDG unit.
Based on the investigation, Ferro said Sta. Isabel appeared to have duped the three other policemen into conducting operation against Jee by making it appear that it was a legitimate operation.
“The problem is that he (Sta. Isabel) used our mechanism to justify is alibi,” said Ferro.
He explained that Sta. Isabel used some of the protocols being used in running after a target of the AIDG operation to make it appear that it was a legitimate operation.
Earlier reports disclosed that Sta. Isabel was also involved in the kidnapping of a certain Mylene Tan.
But after a check with the Directorate for Intelligence, it turned out that Sta. Isabel was cleared after the case was dismissed.
“We checked him, he has no cases,” said Ferro.
Sta. Isabel applied to the AKG but his application was rejected. It was then that he applied to the AIDG and later accepted after being endorsed by a police colonel.
CREMATED
Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, director of the Northern Police District, said five employees of the Gream Funeral Services in Caloocan City were invited for questioning in connection with the Jee case.
Initial information disclosed that Jee, after he was killed last year by his abductors, was taken to the funeral services where the cadaver was cremated.
“No cadaver was recovered. Only five persons were invited by the NBI and were taken to the NBI,” said Fajardo.
It was reported earlier that the remains of Jee was found in Caloocan City.
“The information of the NBI might have come from SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, one of the suspects in the Korean KFR (kidnap-for-ransom) case,” said Fajardo. (AARON B. RECUENCO)
