MANILA, Philippines - A police official, who has been the subject of a manhunt for allegedly masterminding the Sept. 1 EDSA “hulidap,” surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at Camp Crame Friday night, an official said yesterday.
Senior Inspector Oliver Villanueva was accompanied by his lawyer, Magnum Agpaoa, when he went to the CIDG office at around 8 p.m., according to Philippine National Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor.
His surrender leaves only dismissed Inspector Marco Polo Estrera as the only known suspect still at large. Estrera, Villanueva and two other suspects – Chief Inspector Joseph de Vera and Senior Inspector Alan Emlano – belong to the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Class of 2001.
Villanueva is among 10 policemen assigned at the La Loma, Quezon City police station accused of kidnapping two employees of a Marawi-based contractor and robbing them of P2.1 million. He has since been dismissed as head of the police station’s intelligence and investigation branch.
Mayor said the CIDG has placed Villanueva under restrictive custody at its Special Operations Unit while coordinating with the National Capital Region Police Office for the proper disposition of the police official.