A 53-year-old girlfriend of a convicted carjacker was abducted from her house in Quezon City Saturday by at least 10 bonnet-wearing men, brought to a police station in Malabon and told to produce a kilo of shabu as ransom payment.
The suspects turned out to be policemen, four of whom were arrested Monday by combined operatives of the Northern Police District (NPD), Anti-Kidnapping Group and Counter Intelligence Task Force (CITF).
Police officials identified the four members of the Malabon Police Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) as Senior Police Officer 2 Ricky Pelicano, Police Officer 2 Wilson Sanchez, Police Officer 1 Joselito Ereneo, and Police Officer 1 Frances Camua.
They were accosted at 11 a.m. inside their office.
Seven other policemen are being hunted, according to Director Oscar Albayalde, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
“I advise those who are at large to surrender and face the accusations against them. Otherwise, to the full extent of the law, we will make sure that arrests will be made in the coming days,” said Albayalde.
The victim alleged that the suspects brought her to the DEU office in Malabon police station and made up a report, saying she was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Letre, Malabon, according to NPD chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo.
The victim complained that the cops took her phone, cash, and her Starex van.
The following day – a Sunday, the cops allegedly told the victim that they would release her if her family will give them a kilo of shabu.
The victim’s family managed to produce the illegal drugs and handed it to the suspects who demanded an additional P5 million.
That was the time the victim’s family sought the help of the NPD.
Despite the arrest of the four cops, the victim remains behind bar.
Sources said Fajardo confronted the erring cops and gave them a severe tongue lashing.
“I will never tolerate such disgrace to PNP. Scalawag cops must be jailed,” Fajardo was quoted as saying.
“I do not and will not ever tolerate erring personnel nor will condone criminal acts committed by my policemen,” he stressed.
Fajardo said they are now readying a case of kidnapping, robbery and extortion and planting of evidence against the erring policemen. (JEL SANTOS and AARON RECUENCO)
