3 police officers linked to woman’s kidnap-slay

Three police officers, including a former spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), have been implicated in the kidnapping and murder of a woman, whose body was discovered last week in San Pedro, Laguna, police said Tuesday.

Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., spokesperson of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the three had been implicated by the principal suspect, former policeman Reginal Regidor Santiago, 39, in the death of Lea Angeles Ng, who went missing on January 20 and whose decomposing body was found inside an oil bunker in an abandoned warehouse on February 23.

They are former NCRPO spokesperson Superintendent Rommel S. Miranda, deputy chief of the Communication and Electronics Service of Police Regional Office-7 stationed in Cebu City; and police officers Otelio Santos Jr. and Jifford Signap, from the San Pedro Municipal Police Station.

“The recovery of the body of Mrs. Ng, who went missing on January 20, is a major breakthrough in the month-long investigation into this kidnap-slay case,” Cruz said in a statement.

After he was arrested, Santiago led investigators to San Vicente village where the victim’s body had been dumped. He was charged with kidnapping-for-ransom with homicide and illegal possession of firearms.

It was not immediately clear what circumstances led to Ng’s death.

“Santos and Signap have since gone on absence without official leave  while Miranda is set to be reassigned to the personnel holding and accounting unit in Camp Crame to ensure his availability to face further investigation,” Cruz said.

Miranda told reporters he had been set up and intended to hire a lawyer to clear his name.

Cruz said the case records have been forwarded to the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management for the filing of administrative charges against the three PNP members.

Santiago, Santos and Signap were seen in a CCTV footage as the persons on board Ng’s silver Toyota Prado with license plate number JUS 77 that was abandoned in the parking lot of Walter Mart mall in Carmona, Cavite.

“Several witnesses also positively identified the suspects who drove the vehicle into the parking lot,” Cruz said.