Judge Rodolfo Ponferrada of Regional Trial Court Branch 41 issued the warrant of arrest against Chief Inspector Michael Angelo Martin; Inspector Allanjing Medina; Police Officer 3 Arnold Asis; PO2 Pedro Gutierrez; PO2 Nilo dela Paz; and PO2 Antonio Berida Jr.
Ponferrada also issued hold department orders against the policemen to prevent them from leaving the country to face the charges.
Court records showed that the accused policemen abducted Maca Angcos Aliwaya, Isagani Abdul and Zarah Langco along United Nations Avenue on Sept. 11, 2001. They released the kidnaped victims after they paid P700,000 in ransom. Martin’s group also took the victims’ two vehicles – a Mitsubishi Adventure and a Toyota Tamaraw FX.
The victims claimed they were crusing along UN Avenue on board the Mitsubishi Adventure when a blue Toyota Sedan bumped their vehicle from behind at around 10 a.m.
The victims said they went out of their vehicle to check the damage but they were surprised to see armed men alighting from another vehicle and poked guns at them.
Aliwaya and Abdul were immediately blindfolded and shoved inside the suspects’ vehicle. Another suspect took Langco and commandeered the victims’ vehicle.
According to the three victims, they were broght to an office, where a cop demanded P10 million for their release. After hours of haggling, the amount was reduced to P700,000 and the two vehicles of the victims. The money was delivered by Aliwaya’s uncle, Jamil Maamor, to the suspects at the Casino Filipino at Grand Blvd. at around 10 p.m., the same day. The three victims were released at around 5 a.m. the following day. – Cecille Suerte Felipe