Retired cop abducted by 8 armed men in Bacolod City

Updated (9:48 p.m.)

MANILA, Philippines — A retired policeman was abducted by eight armed men in Bacolod City on Friday, police said.

According to the Western Visayas Police, Major Lito Pirote was abducted by men on board a white Toyota Hiace with license plate YS4514 along 6th Street in Barangay 7 at around 11:10 a.m.

The victim had just stepped out of the Metro Inn Hotel after meeting with his lawyer when the incident happened, according to police.

Pirote was formerly assigned at the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group of the Philippine National Police.

In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Police Captain Leo Estofa, acting commander of Bacolod City Police Station 2, said no one has contacted the victim’s family yet to demand ransom or to give information on the retired cop’s whereabouts.

He said Pirote had just retired from the police service in January this year.

Police said the investigation is ongoing to identify the perpetrators of the crime and to locate the former policeman.

As of posting time, the motive behind the abduction is still not clear, according to Estofa. /ee