Police rescue ‘sex slave’ from Tondo gang

Two out-of-school youths were arrested by police in a raid at a dump in Tondo, Manila last night during an operation to rescue a 19-year-old girl allegedly being held as a sex slave by four gang members.

Police Officer 2 Shiela Esquibal of the Western Police District’s Women and Children’s Desk sought the assistance of an elite squad of the Homicide Section headed by Chief Inspector Alejandro Yanquiling after receiving information that a gang of youths has been holding a girl as a sex slave for the past three days.

Yanquiling headed to the designated area with his operatives, composed of SPO4 Alfredo Salazar and SPO4 Ismael de la Cruz, SPO2 Ferdinand Galang, SPO2 Danilo Vidad, SPO2 Rodel Reglos SPO2 Henry Aguilar and SPO1 Melquides Javalla.

Yanquiling said the girl, who had difficulty walking because of her ordeal, was found inside a makeshift hut at a dump along Radial 10 in Tondo.

Police also rounded up some 40 scavengers who were lined up before the victim. She was able to identify two of her tormentors, aged 18 and 19.

The two suspects also named their accomplice as a certain Reynante and one alias "Puti." The girl was turned over to the WPD’s Women and Children’s Desk.– Nestor Etolle