Four policemen were charged with robbery-extortion in the Manila Regional Trial Court on Wednesday after a businessman accused them of illegally arresting him, his girlfriend and sister and then demanding P250,000 for their release.
In the complaint, businessman Niel Hayuhay identified the policemen as PO2 Luisito Gutierrez, Police Officers 1 Anthony Fernandez and Paulo Levin Angelo Nerviza of the Sta. Mesa police station and PO1 Wilfredo Cinco who is assigned with the National Capital Region Police Office personnel holding and accounting unit.
Hayuhay said that around 4 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2012, he and his girlfriend Divine Lapuz had just arrived at his house in Bambang, Pasig City, on a motorcycle when a black Honda Civic and white Mitsubishi Adventure blocked their path.
Several men alighted from the vehicles, introduced themselves as policemen as Fernandez handcuffed him and made him and his girlfriend get inside the Civic, he added.
According to the businessman, the men then took the keys to the his motorcycle, went into his house and handcuffed Lea who was home. They also took her necklace and wallet which had P6,000 in cash before they ransacked his house.
Hayuhay said the three of them were brought to the Sta. Mesa police station where they were told to pay P200,000 for their release or else, they would be charged with possession of illegal drugs.
At this point, Cinco arrived at the police station and offered to help them negotiate with the policemen, he added. Later on, however, Cinco told him that the lawmen had increased their demand to P250,000, Hayuhay said.
He contacted his nephew who gave P15,000 to Gutierrez around 4 a.m. on Aug. 26 followed by P60,000 more around noon.
Hayuhay said Lea was released so she could get the rest of the money demanded by the policemen. She then asked for help from another sibling who knew the brother of then Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Supt. Alejandro Gutierrez.
When the MPD chief called up the station commander, Hayuhay and his girlfriend were released. When they got home, however, they found out that someone had taken their laptop computers, digital cameras, cell phones and wristwatches, among other valuables.
For their part, the policemen denied the accusation against them, saying they were in Pasig City on Aug. 24, 2012 to arrest a woman named Gladic Uy Zamora.
They claimed that the complaint against them was ill-motivated because Lea had an outstanding warrant of arrest for an illegal drugs case.
But in a resolution, Assistant City Prosecutor Alfred Gomez said that Lea’s criminal record had nothing to do with the extortion case.
“The clear and positive testimony of the complainants as well as collaborating testimony of credible witnesses is given more weight than the mere alibi of the respondents,” Gomez said as he set bail for the four policemen at P100,000 each.