4 nab for extorting money from NGCP

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A Moro couple and two more persons were arrested by the police on Monday in Kabacan, North Cotabato for trying to extort P15 million from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

The suspects, Omar Lantong, his wife, Myria, and their two accomplices, Jordan Sumagka and Mila Mangelen Moreno, were arrested in separate entrapment operations staged by policemen.

Lantong and his spouse were cuffed by policemen led by Superintendent Leo Ajero, chief of the Kabacan municipal police, after claiming from a local branch of a forwarding firm a package that they thought contained the P15 million from the NGCP.

Ajero said the package was made to appear as sent by the NGCP.

Lantong and his accomplices confessed to having sent text messages to certain officials of the NGCP, threatening to destroy the firm’s facilities in Central Mindanao if they will not shell out protection money.

The cashiered extortionists pointed to a certain Arsenio Gulam, also known as Commander Sandoval, as their mastermind.

Gulam is wanted for a string of heinous offenses, including multiple murders, drug-trafficking and armed robberies.

Ajero said operatives wearing ordinary clothes immediately arrested Abdullah and his wife after they signed the acknowledgement receipt for the “package” they thought was containing the extortion money.

Abdullah said Gulam first instructed them to demand P20 million from the NGCP.

Ajero said the entrapment was laid after a series of “case conferences” with cooperating parties.

Criminal charges have been filed against the four suspects.