LUCENA CITY – Police arrested on Wednesday a 31-year-old man pretending to be a cop on charges of robbery hold-up, extortion, attempted rape and usurpation of authority.
Supt. Dennis de Leon, Lucena police chief, said Joseph Ayapana, 31, was collared by his men in a follow up operation after victim Mary Rose Lucido, 36, reported to police that he held her up at gunpoint.
De Leon said Lucido was walking home in Barangay (village) Gulang-Gulang at about 1:00 a.m. when Ayapana, who was in a police uniform and on a motorcycle, accosted her and took her wallet that contained P2,000 cash. He also allegedly took her mobile phone worth P26,000 and other personal belongings.
Ayapana was still in a policeman’s “general office attire” (GOA) uniform when he was collared in a restaurant. A kitchen knife and a “toy gun” (gun replica) were found in his possession.
Lucido claimed that Ayapana sexually molested her but she was able to free herself and escaped towards her house, shouting for help. Ayapana fled on board his motorcycle.
Ayapana was still in a policeman’s “general office attire” (GOA) uniform when he was collared in a restaurant. A kitchen knife and a “toy gun” (gun replica) were found in his possession.
Two more complainants appeared at the station and identified the suspect as the one who extorted money from them after planting plastic sachets containing “tawas” (aluminum potassium sulfate) that looks like “shabu” in their possessions.
During investigation, two more complainants appeared at the station and identified the suspect as the one who extorted money from them after planting plastic sachets containing “tawas” (aluminum potassium sulfate) that looked like “shabu” in their possession.
The complainants said the suspect, who was also wearing a police uniform during the incident, took their cellphones and valuables.
Ayapana faces charges of violation of the Revised Penal Code (Article 177), which prohibits anyone from falsely representing himself as an officer, agent or representative of any department or agency of the government, attempted rape and robbery hold-up. CBB/rga