Marked P500 bill leads to arrest of cops, accomplices for extortion

CITY OF MALOLOS—A marked P500 bill led to the arrest of two policemen and their three alleged civilian accomplices in a case of extortion where victims were mostly tricycle drivers.

The policemen and their accomplices prey on traffic rule violators, offering to nullify traffic citation tickets in exchange for cash.

Those arrested were policemen SMsg Vic Godwin Lajom and Pat. Jay Mark Tuazon and civilians Wendell Mendoza and Kenneth Villena, alias Pango, and a certain Ric.

The policemen were assigned to the City of Malolos Police Community Precinct 5.

Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, chief of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group of the Philippine National Police, said the four were arrested on Monday (July 6) inside the police station.

Lee said police carried out an entrapment operation after getting reports that the two policemen were demanding money from erring drivers to downgrade or strike down their traffic violations.

The civilians were reportedly acting as middlemen of the two policemen.

Lee said the five were arrested shortly after they received a marked P500 bill from a complainant.

TSB