BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrested a man who demanded a P300,000 ransom for a missing person in Quezon City.
NBI Officer-In-Charge Eric Distor said the suspect, Jerry Lazaro, was nabbed by agents of the NBI Anti-Fraud Division (NBI-AFD) during an entrapment operation last Oct. 9.
Lazaro was presented for inquest before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for robbery/extortion.
“Record check on Subject revealed several derogatory records and several Warrants of Arrest for Qualified Theft and Qualified Theft thru Falsification of Public Documents,” according to the NBI report.
NBI acted on the complaint of a woman who has asked the bureau to find her husband who went missing in June.
“No indication that Subject and his cahoots were in custody of complainant’s husband,” the NBI said.
“The contents of Subject’s mobile phone are currently being investigated,” it added.
The NBI recounted that last Oct. 6, the complainant informed the NBI-AFD that “she had been receiving text messages from an anonymous person telling her that they have her husband in their custody and was demanding a ransom of P300,000.00.”
“Complainant was also given specific instruction not to inform the authorities about the transaction for if they do, complainant’s husband will die and even his children will share his fate,” it added.
Despite demands from the complainant for her husband’s proof of life, the NBI said “the alleged captor could not show any except for the inaudible voice and moans through a phone call.”
