2 Malolos cops tagged in robbery-extortion activities nabbed

MANILA, Philippines — Two members of the Malolos City Police Station and their two civilian accomplices were arrested in an entrapment operation for alleged involvement in robbery-extortion activities.

In a report to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Archie Gamboa, PNP-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) director Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee identified the suspects as Senior Master Sergeant Vic Godwin Lajom and Patrolman Jay Mark Tuazon, both assigned with the Malolos City Police-Community Precinct 5 and their civilian accomplices Wendell Mendoza and Kenneth Villena.

Lee said the suspects were arrested after his team confirmed their illicit activities.

According to Lee, the suspects are known for apprehending erring tricycle drivers and other civilians for traffic violations and asking money from them so their citation tickets would be nullified or their offenses would be downgraded.

He added that they found out that the two policemen were utilizing two civilian “assets” identified as “Pango” and “Ric” in their illegal activities.

“The two civilians were found to be acting as the middlemen of the accused policemen in collecting money from the violators,” Lee said.

The PNP-IMEG director said that the four were arrested right inside the Malolos City PCP 5 around 12:30 p.m. Monday after they receiving a marked P500 bill from a complainant.

The suspects were brought to the PNP-IMEG headquarters in Camp Crame for booking and filing of criminal charges for robbery-extortion. The two cops will also be facing administrative charges for grave misconduct.

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