Police colonel’s daughter survives kidnap attempt

The daughter of police colonel, said to be one of those accused in the controversial Kuratong Baleleng case, escaped a kidnap try by two armed men at the Shangri-La Plaza mall in Mandaluyong last Saturday, reports said.

The Mandaluyong City police tried to keep the botched kidnap attempt on Marie Hilario, a student of the De la Salle High School in Greenhills, under wraps but newsmen were able to piece together details of the incident from other sources.

Hilario is the daughter of Senior Superintendent Almario Hilario, a former provincial director of Catanduanes, Bicol Region. Investigation showed that Marie had just parked her green Honda Civic (plate number WGF 116) at the 6th floor of the Shangri-La Plaza mall at about 8 p.m. Saturday when two armed men grabbed her from behind and pushed her inside a waiting RAV4 sports utility van.

However, before the suspects could make good their escape, the mall elevator came to a stop and a number of people emerged, causing the suspects to panic and rush back to their vehicle.

Reports said the armed men then loosened their grip on Marie who was able to jumped out of the vehicle and scampered away to safety.

The suspects sped-off but later abandoned the RAV4 van at a parking lot on the 5th floor of the building.

Armed with K-9 sniffing dogs, the police later opened the RAV4 van and recovered a caliber 9 mm Jericho automatic pistol and three plate numbers, and several pieces of important documents.

The RAV4 turned out to be owned by businessman Sheila Lim, of Binondo, Manila. Lim said she was at Glorietta Shopping Mall in Makati City at 5:30 p.m. last Jan. 5 when four armed man snatched the vehicle from her. – Non Alquitran