Two cops accused of robbery-extortion surrender

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Two policemen accused with four others of perpetrating a robbery-extortion scam on a Muntinlupa resident last week surrendered to their superiors late Tuesday afternoon.

Police Officer 1 Dennis Quinto of the National Capital Region Police Office and PO2 Rigor Octaviano of the Pasay City police, after being declared absent without leave for a week, finally surfaced to face Metro Manila police director Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina and southern metro police director Chief Superintendent Jose Erwin T. Villacorte at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

The two rookie policemen and four others face criminal charges of robbery-extortion and unlawful arrest and dismissal from the police force for  detaining Muntinlupa resident Jennilind Rodriguez and her househelp Kevin Bajar on allegedly trumped-up drug charges last Wednesday and demanding P12,000 for their release.

PO2 Herminigildo Emasa Gajeto Jr. of the southern metro police district and PO1 Ryan Hallegado Manga of the Parañaque police were arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping Group in an entrapment and rescue operation.

Only  PO2 Michel Marcos and PO2 Domingo Abarico, both of the SPD, remain unaccounted for. All of the policemen were declared absent without leave since Tuesday last week, Villacorte had said.

Quinto is now under restrictive custody of the NCRPO-Regional Police Holding Administrative Unit, while Octaviano is being held at the SPD headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, Espina said.