Police entrap Army "reservist" in extortion

ORMOC CITY, Philippines  — Operatives of the City Police Station 1 caught in an entrapment operation a 48-year-old man, claiming to be an Army reservist, while allegedly in the act of collecting money from his victim.

The police identified the suspect as Joselito Maceda Solis who was a neighbor of the alleged victim Arlene Abah, a government employee.

Solis was caught holding the red plastic bag containing P4,500 cash, including the P100 marked money, according to Sr. Insp. Shevert Alvin Machete, chief of Police Station 1.

Machete said the arrest of Solis came after Abah complained to the police about an extortion letter, allegedly signed by a certain Ka Noli Egay, an NPA commander of the North Amendiwing Command.

Abah, in her notarized statement, narrated that last November 4 she received the letter, written in Cebuano dialect, demanding money for medicines and expenses for some slain rebels. It instructed her to put the money in a red plastic bag and leave it at the backdoor of her neighbor Elsa Ycoy to be picked up on November 6.

The letter also stated the whereabouts of her children and assured her that the revolutionary tax will be stopped upon retirement of her husband who is working abroad. It warned her further that something bad may happen to her family if she ignores the demand.

Abah however became suspicious of Solis when the latter approached her telling stories of NPA rebels roaming around their place, giving letters to extort money with warning to kill anybody who fails to comply.

Upon receipt of the letter, Abah did not tell any one from her family but she sought for police assistance on the matter. An entrapment was later set and she, as instructed of her, put the money at her neighbor's backyard.

Close to midnight on November 6, she saw a man in blue jacket and red short pants went to the site and took the bag with the money. This prompted the police to emerge from their hiding place and collared the man who later identified himself as Solis, allegedly a military reservist.

Solis has lately availed himself of his rights to a preliminary investigation for extortion charge, docketed as case no. VIII-04-INQ-11k-00114.

Machete told The FREEMAN that the successful arrest of Solis was "a textbook example of anti-crime collaboration between the police and the community."  (FREEMAN)