Counter-intelligence operatives collared early Thursday members of Manila Police District (MPD) District Special Operations Unit (DSOU) for extorting money from supposed human traffickers they had arrested.
A video released by the Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF) shows its operatives conducting an operation at the DSOU office in MPD headquarters at UN Avenue in Manila around 12:30 am.
The CITF arrested Police Officer (PO) 1 Erdie Bautista and PO1 MJ Cerilla during the operation.
Four other suspects—PO3 Michael Chavez, PO3 Dindo Encina, PO1 Arcadio Orbis, and PO1 Martinico Mario—are still on the loose as of posting.
The policemen-suspects arrested eight individuals on Wednesday night for alleged human trafficking but later on asked them to pay P100,000 for their release.
The two parties haggled and the amount was then reduced to P50,000. At this point, the CITF had prepared an entrapment operation based on the complaint of the relative of one of the arrested men.
During the operation, the CITF rescued the illegally detained individuals.
It turned out that their arrest had no official blotter entry and no spot report was submitted to the MPD’s tactical operations center.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar has immediately ordered the relief of the suspects.
They are facing extortion charges. /je