Fake cop arrested in Makati

He looked like a cop, walked liked a cop, and even acted like a cop complete with a gun and handcuffs on his belt but the man turned out to be a civilian impersonating a police officer.

And after real police officers confirmed that he was a fake, Benjamin Selisana Jr. was arrested for usurpation of authority by the Makati City police.

He was nabbed while apprehending motorists for supposed traffic violations along Burgos Street in Barangay Poblacion around 2:10 p.m. last Thursday.

Selisana, 36, a Mandaluyong City resident, was also charged for illegally wearing a police uniform and illegal possession of firearms and live ammunition.

Police likewise booked him for falsification of public documents for using fake identification cards claiming he was with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police.

Senior Inspector Eduardo Paningbatan, chief of the Makati City Police Criminal Investigation Section, said Selisana was arrested by mobile patrol policemen in front of a bar.

According to him, the suspect was approached for improperly wearing his police uniform since he was sporting a so-called "type B" attire (white shirt and police pants) while supposedly performing his duties.

When the mobile patrol policemen asked him for his police ID card, Paningbatan said, Selisana failed to produce any and instead presented a CIDG ID and a photocopy of a "mission order" from the unit.

With that, the suspect was arrested and brought to the station before he was later turned over to the CIDG in Camp Crame.

Seized from Selisana was a caliber .45 pistol, two magazines with 16 live ammuniation, a pair of handcuffs and various ID cards.

Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, chief of the Makati City police, said Selinasa looked almost like a real police officer to the untrained eye.

"He really looked like a police officer with a gun, handcuffs, and everything. We gave him to the CIDG because he was faking CIDG IDs," he told The STAR.