MANILA, Philippines—The wife of a police officer arrested for the kidnap and murder of a retired pilot was herself arrested by police on Wednesday as a conspirator in the crime.

Chief Insp. Penelope Cautiver, wife of Chief Insp. Exequiel Cautiver, was arrested by her superior officers from the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit. She is an officer assigned to the Personnel and Records Management division.

Pasay City Regional Trial Court Judge Pedro De Leon had ordered Cautiver’s arrest for her alleged participation in the kidnapping and murder of retired pilot Demosthenes Cañete and driver Allan Garay.

Penelope was among several persons implicated in a sworn statement by policeman Ric Selga, himself one of the suspects in the Cañete-Garay case.

In his statement, Selga admitted he had knowledge of the plan to kidnap and liquidate Cañete and that it was master minded by Victor Carungcong, former vice mayor of Dasmariñas, Cavite.

The kidnapping, Selga claimed, was carried out by the Cautivers together with Mariano “Spider” de Leon and PO1 Reniel Abogado.

“This statement along with that of Exequiel Cautiver are consistent in all material aspects of the well-planned conspiracy to kidnap and liquidate the victim,” said a Department of Justice resolution.