Caloocan cops face extortion raps

Charges of extortion were filed yesterday against two Caloocan City policemen before the City Prosecutor’s Office after a complaint was filed by an executive of a graphic design firm last week.

Superintendent William Macavinta, city police chief, identified the two erring cops as Police Officer 3 Jonathan Campul and PO2 Samuel Benedictos, both assigned at Police Community Precinct 129 Mobile in Morning Breeze Subdivision, Caloocan City.

The charges were filed against the policemen by  Rosalyn Sayajon, 29, administrative officer of the K8 International Graphic Designs and Services and resident of Sta. Ines, Bulacan, Bulacan.

SPO3 Vivencio Gamboa said the incident happened shortly after midnight last May 31 along Gen. Simon street between Calle Cuatro and Antimoya Street in Barangay 81.

Gamboa said Sayajon and a company employee were overseeing the unloading of office supplies and pieces of furniture from a 20-foot container van parked near their office when the Campul and Benedictos who were on board a police patrol car with license plates SGY 793 passed by and accosted them.

Sayajon told probers that Campul demanded the pertinent documents for the items being unloaded.

Probers said that after browsing through the documents, Campul allegedly told her the documents were incomplete and threatened to take the delivery truck’s plates if she failed to present the proper documents.    

Sayajon then explained that the other documents were with the broker and that it was impossible to produce them as it was already late at night and the office was already closed.

Campul allegedly told her to settle her problem and initially demanded P600 cash, for what she said she did not know. Sayajon disagreed but gave the money to the policeman because of Campul’s threat to hold the vehicle.

Probers said Campul again demanded more money from the victim and this time the policeman asked for P2,000 to be given to his alleged superior, Benedictos.

Campul, however, still took with him the documents for the item and the suspect later continued communicating with Sayajon via cell phone and demanded an additional P10,000 for the release of the documents.

Sayajon got irked and decided to file a criminal complaint against the two policemen.