Money demanded for release of suspect: NBI nabs cop in 'extort' try

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested a policeman yesterday for allegedly extorting money from the wife of a man, who he reportedly arrested for drug pushing.

PO2 Jaime de la Cruz was collared shortly before noon yesterday inside a fast food outlet near the Cebu City Police Office while accepting P20,000 in marked-money used by NBI operatives in the entrapment operation.

The NBI operatives led by executive officer Ernesto Macabare conducted the entrapment operation based on a complaint filed by Corazon Escobedo.

Escobedo sought the NBI's assistance after de la Cruz allegedly demanded P40,000 for the release of her husband, Ariel, who was picked up by the suspect at 1 o'clock dawn yesterday in their house along Magsaysay St., barangay Pasil.

Escobedo said, a few hours after her husband was picked up, a minor came to their place bringing a piece of paper with the cellphone number of a certain James listed on it. The minor told her to call the number.

According to Escobedo, she immediately dialed the number 09194152630 and received instructions from James.

James, who was later identified as de la Cruz, ordered Escobedo to go to the CCPO headquarters in Camp Sotero Cabahug along Gorodo Ave., where the suspect met her outside the camp at 4 o'clock dawn. Escobedo said de la Cruz demanded from her P40,000 for the release of her husband, otherwise he would file a case for drug pushing.

De la Cruz then gave another number for her to contact while she is raising the amount. Some of the text messages of de la Cruz showed that he pressured Escobedo to produce the money before noon yesterday because his superiors might already learn about her husband's arrest.

After having raised only P20,000, Escobedo went to the NBI to seek assistance and the entrapment operation ensued. De la Cruz and Escobedo agreed to meet in a fast food outlet near the city police headquarters where he will receive the money and release her husband.

Unfortunately for de la Cruz, NBI operatives were already positioned around the area waiting for him to receive the dusted money. Recovered from de la Cruz were the marked-money and his cal. 45 pistol issued by the city government because it bore the city's seal.

De la Cruz, however, denied the allegations of extortion. He said, Ariel and the minor, who was also arrested by the NBI, are his assets.

De la Cruz claimed that Ariel brought him to the fast food outlet yesterday because there was a drug carrier from barangay Ermita and they were hatching a plan to arrest the person.

The NBI would be filing charges for robbery extortion, illegal detention and violation of the Anti-Trafficking In Persons Act against the policeman today .

De la Cruz will be charged for illegal detention for allegedly illegally detaining the husband of the complainant and violation of the R.A. 9208 because he used a minor as errand boy to facilitate his extortion activity.

The NBI subjected de la Cruz yesterday to a drug test because of suspicions that he is using illegal drugs. If found positive of shabu use, another case for violation of Section 15 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act will be added in the charges against him.

Meanwhile, SSG Chief Mariano Natuel, the immediate superior of de la Cruz, said yesterday he had no knowledge about the operation that was being conducted by de la Cruz.

He said that the arrested policeman is not one of his operatives because the latter has been assigned at an outpost in barangay Mabini, in the mountains of Cebu City.

He said that prior to dela Cruz transfer to the Mabini outpost, the policeman was detailed as a bodyguard of Vice Mayor Michael Rama for two years. - with Flor Z. Perolina and Gary B. Lao