Couple who cried cockroach at hotel nabbed for extortion

ZAMBOANGA CITY—-A couple who put up a show of being dissatisfied hotel guests then demanding money from its owner in exchange for their supposed silence ended up in jail here.

Sherhan Abdurasad Sabdani, 36, a cellular phone vendor, and his wife Almalyn Jowak Kasim, 36, a former Overseas Filipino Worker, checked in at Winzelle Suite on Thursday (Feb. 27).

Several hours after, they complained at the reception desk that their room was full of cockroaches.

When informed about the complaint, Navy Capt. Aaron Hilaria Go, part owner of Winzelle Suite, saw the couple and offered to look at the situation in the room, himself.

But instead of letting Go inside the room, the couple offered to have the matter settled by a P20,000 payoff to them.

Maj. Edwin Duco, spokesperson of the Zamboanga City police, said Go informed police about the case and an entrapment operation was set, leading to the couple’s arrest.

The couple, who lives in Southcom Village here, claimed they wanted only a refund of their hotel fees.

Edited by TSB