Cop legal officer nabbed for extort

Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested in an entrapment last Tuesday a police legal officer who allegedly tried to extort P50,000 from a junior police officer who was dismissed for being absent without official leave (AWOL).

Arnold Lazaro, head agent of the NBI’s Background Investigation Division (BID), said they apprehended Senior Inspector Amado Gazmin, a lawyer assigned as a legal officer at the Regional Police Legal Service at Camp Olivas in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Information gathered by the NBI-BID showed that Gazmin allegedly tried to extort P50,000 from PO2 Louiesito Luna Pring, who has filed a motion for reconsideration on his dismissal with the Regional Police Legal Service.

When Gazmin allegedly demanded P50,000 from him in exchange for his reinstatement in the police service, Pring promptly sought the NBI’s help.

Agents of the NBI-BID and the bureau’s Central Luzon office conducted the entrapment in a fastfood outlet in Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga, arresting Gazmin after he received the marked money from Pring.

Charges of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Article 210 of the Revised Penal Code or direct bribery were filed against Gazmin before the Department of Justice Task Force on Special Cases. He is currently detained at the NBI jail.