7 cops arrested for kidnap-for-ransom

Seven more policemen, charged with kidnap-for-ransom for their alleged involvement in an extortion racket on the relatives of an arrested drug suspect last year, were arrested

on Thursday inside the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) headquarters in Taguig City.

Police Maj. Gen. Guillermo Elezar, NCRPO director, said that the arrest was effected based on the arrest warrant issued by a Tagaytay City court for a modus operandi that is usually being used by anti-narcotics policemen to cash in on the ongoing drug war.

He identified those arrested as Police Staff Sergeant Joel Lupig; Police Corporals Vener Gunalao and Jayson Arellano; Patrolmen Jeffrey De Leon, Mark Jefferson Fulgencio Raymart Gomez and Erickson Rivera, all assigned to the Las Piñas City Police drug enforcement unit before they were placed under restrictive custody.

Eleazar said he personally served the arrest warrant for a case of kidnapping-for-ransom on Wednesday afternoon inside the Custodial Detention Facility of Regional Headquarters Support Unit (RHSU), NCRPO, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan in Taguig City.

Based on the court records, the seven policemen allegedly tried to extort money from the sister of a drug suspect whom they arrested in an antidrug operation in November last year.

“The extortion money was in exchange for the release of her brother. But instead of giving in, she reported the incident to NCRPO which immediately planned an entrapment operation,” said Eleazar.

The seven cops eluded the arresting team but subsequently surrendered themselves to Eleazar November 29 last year. They were then placed under restrictive custody at NCRPO headquarters while waiting for the progress of the case leveled against them.

Criminal cases of kidnapping with serious illegal detention along with administrative case of grave misconduct were filed against the suspects. The seven cops are now under the custody of RSOU for proper documentation and the warrant of arrest will be returned to the court of origin.

A number of policemen have already been arrested for extortion activity, most of them riding on the government’s war on drugs.