4 Malabon cops nabbed for kidnapping, robbery-extortion

Four operatives from the Malabon City Police Station's Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) were arrested for kidnapping and robbery-extortion in a joint police entrapment operation early Monday.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Fajardo, director of the Northern Police District, said seven other policemen are being hunted for their involvement with the "ninja-type" group.

The arrested policemen were identified as Senior Police Officer 2 Ricky Pelicano, Police Officer 2 Wilson Sanchez, PO1 Joselito Ereneo, and PO1 Frances Camua.

He said the seven other policemen are members of the PNP's Civil Security Group and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

He did not provide details of the entrapment operation jointly conducted by operatives of the Northern Police District and the PNP Counter-Intelligence Task Force, Anti-Kidnapping Group, the Malabon City Police Station, and the Highway Patrol Group.

The police official said the four members of the Malabon police's DEU have been relieved as criminal and administrative charges are being prepared against them.

Fajardo said two city residents, Jesus Sala and Gladys Bataycan, reported that their 53-year-old relative, a certain "Norma", was forcibly taken by 10 balaclava-wearing men from her home in Muñoz area on Saturday.

The masked men also took the victim's Starex Van and other valuable personal belongings.

Norma's boyfriend

After her rescue, "Norma" told police that she was detained by the policemen at the Malabon police station's DEU office and her personal belongings including jewelry, iphone 7, paptop, and P6,000 cash were seized from her.

She claimed that the policemen demanded P5 million for her release.

Fajardo said that the erring policemen also called up the victim's boyfriend, a certain Raymond, who is detained at the New Bilibid Prison, and demanded an additional P2 million and a kilogram of shabu for her release.

"They also instigated [that Norma] transact with her Chinese contact for 1 kilo of 'shabu,' which was [to be] picked-up in a hotel in Novaliches, Quezon City," Fajardo said.

Even after allegedly receiving the drugs sent by the victim's boyfriend, the policemen did not release Norma and demanded an additional P1 million. The drop-off was supposed to happened at a mall in Malabon City on Sunday, but it did not push through.

Fajardo, meanwhile, did not say if Norma was a suspected drug personality. —BAP, GMA News