KFR charges vs 5 LIIG staff

SAN PEDRO, Laguna — A police major and four other intelligence operatives of the Laguna Intelligence and Investigation Group (LIIG) were charged yesterday with kidnap-for-ransom in connection with the alleged abduction of three Maranao traders in Biñan town last week.

The kidnap-for-ransom charges were filed after relatives of three Maranao traders, who were allegedly arrested by LIIG operatives during drug buy-bust operations at dawn on Jan. 13, positively identified the five policemen as those who abducted the traders from their residence and subsequently demanded P1 million for the captives’ safe release.

Accused before the Municipal Trial Court of San Pedro were Police Chief Inspector June Urriquia; Inspector Francisco Barcala; SPO1 Domingo Barairo; PO1 Victor Dimasapit; and PO1 Alexander Sumilang; all LIIG operatives based at the PNP headquarters in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Senior Inspector Edwin Corvera, Laguna police director, said the five were identified by relatives of Maranao traders Jimmy Dapat, Pangalian Sultan and Umbay Alim during a police line-up at the PNP headquarters in Sta. Cruz, Laguna as those who allegedly participated in a drug buy-bust operations at the traders’ residence in Biñan town.

Corvera said that while the five were subjected to deeper investigation, they were placed under restriction to refrain them from influencing the case filed against them.

The filing of charges against the accused also caused the relief of Senior Superintendent Rafael Aguilar from his post as LIIG chief, who earlier said the arrest of the traders were a legitimate narcotics operations.

In a sworn affidavit, Latif Manding Dimaporo, one of the traders’ relatives, pinpointed Urriquia as the one whom he negotiated with, for the release of his relatives in exchange for P1 million, but reduced to P210,000.

During entrapment operations conducted by the regional counter-intelligence special operations group and the San Pedro police team, two LIIG civilian informants were arrested in front of the Jollibee food chain in Pacita Complex and subsequently led to the discovery of a LIIG safe house in Barangay Landayan, this town where the traders were allegedly held captives but transferred to the LIIG headquarters in Sta. Cruz town allegedly for tactical interrogation.

Arrested during the entrapment operations were Bienvenido Salandanan, 36, and Arnulfo Montalbo, 36, both of San Antonio, Biñan, Laguna.

It was after the entrapment that the LIIG operatives filed charges against Dapat, Sulatan and Alim with possession and sale of about 10 grams of shabu and now detained at the Biñan municipal jail.