At least two men were arrested Sunday morning when they tried to bribe the police for the release of their two friends presently detained at the Waterfront Police Station.
Arrested were Paul Delfin, 33, a resident of Labucay Street in barangay Mabolo and his neighbor Joel Ripdos, 36. They were arrested by SPO1 Daryl Alalin and his companions of the station’s miscellaneous team.
Earlier, Alalin’s team arrested Juan Magallano, 31, and Dennis Rosillas, 30, whom Delfin and Ripdos wanted out from jail.
Rosillas and Magallano were caught in possession of drug paraphernalia during a saturation drive in Ponce II in barangay Carreta late Saturday.
Alalin told The Freeman that it was Delfin who approached him at the station and offered him money in exchange for the release of Magallano and Rosillas. He said Delfin told him that he would be coming back with the money.
Alalin and his team immediately organized an entrapment operation against Delfin witnessed by dyLA news director Junnex Napallacan.
It was Ripdos who reportedly carried the money while Delfin did the talking when they met Alalin at the station. When Ripdos placed the money on top of Alalin’s table, the two were immediately placed under arrest.
Police recovered the money of eight P500 bills and one P1,000 bill that would serve as evidence for the filing of charges against Delfin and Ripdos.
The two suspects were silent on the allegation against them when asked for comments by The Freeman.
Meanwhile, personnel from the Thief and Robbery Section arrested a man wanted for robbery with homicide in his home in sitio Tara in barangay Tisa Saturday afternoon.
Police identified the suspect as 25-year-old Reynaldo Opciar.
According to Sr. Insp. Michael Anthony Bastes, chief of the TRS, Opciar is one of the suspects in the series of robberies in the city.
The TRS team led by SPO4 Alejandro Lopez arrested Opciar by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by Judge Eric Menchavez of Regional Trial Court Branch 21. — Edwin Ian Melecio/LPM