6 cops nab drug suspect for easy cash; 2 fall in trap

WHAT was earlier reported as a kidnapping case on Wednesday turned out to be a “hulidap” or an extortion racket allegedly involving six policemen from different units in southern Metro Manila.

The lawmen face charges for arresting Jennilind Rodriguez and her houseboy without a warrant at her Muntinlupa City residence Wednesday night and demanding P40,000 for the release of the suspected drug pusher.

According to the Southern Police District, the policemen later settled for P12,000 and two of them were arrested in an entrapment operation Thursday morning at a fast food outlet in Paranaque City, thanks to a tip from Rodriguez’s family. Rodriguez and her helper, Kevin Bajar, were rescued in the operation.

Complaints for robbery-extortion, unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention and a violation of the election gun ban were filed on Thursday in the Parañaque prosecutor’s office against PO2 Herminigildo Gajeto of the SPD and PO1 Ryan Manga of the Parañaque police.

The SPD said the two officers had squealed on their four other cohorts: PO2 Michel Marcos and PO2 Domingo Abarico of the SPD; PO2 Rigor Octaviano of the Pasay police; and PO1 Dennis Quinto of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

The four other policemen have been declared absent without leave by their respective units since Tuesday, said SPD director Chief Supt. Jose Erwin Villacorte.

“According to intelligence reports, (Rodriguez) is a notorious drug peddler in her area. The policemen probably thought she wouldn’t fight back because she was guilty. But when they raided her house, they didn’t have a search warrant and didn’t find any drugs. They had no evidence against her,” Villacorte said

He said a sibling of Rodriguez reported Wednesday’s warrantless arrest and the extortion demand to the Anti-Kidnapping Group of the Philippine National Police based in Camp Crame, whose members later laid a trap for Gajeto and Manga.

According to PNP-AGK head Senior Supt. Rene Gumban, Rodriguez’s late father was convicted of drug trafficking but there was no confirmation yet that she also engaged in this illegal activity.

Rodriguez also claimed that it was the second time the policemen extorted money from her family, Gumban said. The first was in February when they asked for P25,000.

The woman, who was held captive for 12 hours before being rescued, went to Camp Crame on Friday to publicly thank the AKG. “I realize there are still more good than bad policemen,” she said in a press briefing, where she kept her face covered in front of media cameras.

NCRPO director Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina said that even if Rodriguez was known in her area as a “notorious drug personality,” her arrest was still illegal.

“(The policemen) should have gathered evidence, booked her in a police station and prosecuted her in a court of law instead of holding her for ransom,” Espina said. With a report from Marlon Ramos