BY AARON RECUENCO
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Agents of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested a police sergeant assigned in Zamboanga City for allegedly extorting money from a motorcycle rider.
PNP IMEG director Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee said Police Staff Sergeant Roberto Francisco was collared during an entrapment operation in Sitio Agrarian in Barangay Labuan.
“He has been subject of several complaints on his extortion activities targeting mostly habal-habal drivers as well as those individuals who do not have quarantine passes,” said Lee.
Lee said the operation stemmed from the complaint of a driver who claimed that Francisco was extorting money from him in exchange for the release of his impounded motorcycle.
The complainant’s motorcycle was impounded last March 29, 2020 but no citation ticket was issued and was not also officially recorded on the blotter book.
Initially, Francisco allegedly demanded two fighting cocks in exchange for the release but the cop settled for P3,000 after the victim said he did not have any.
Francisco later reduced the demand to P1,500. It was then that he was arrested during the entrapment.
Francisco was taken to the Police Station 10 of Zamboanga City Police for booking and documentation shortly after their arrest and is now facing criminal and administrative charges.
