Police arrest college students for involvement in kidnapping

SOURCE: MANILA BULLETIN

Police arrested four college students for their involvement in the kidnapping of their schoolmate who is reportedly a son of a wealthy businessman.

(screengrabbed from PNP-AKG video)

Chief Supt. Glenn Dumlao, director of the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), said they are now also hunting down the arrested suspects’ six fraternity brothers who also took part in the abduction on August 1 near the Central Station of Light Rail Transit (LRT).

He identified the suspects as Ferdinand dela Vega Jr., Ralph Emmanuel Camaya, Jhulius Atabay and Justine Mahipus and those who remain at large as Eriek Candaba, Gabriel Gabi, Billy Rocillo, Arvi Velasquez, Miguel Austria and Kim Pascua.

Dumlao said that at around 9:30 p.m. on August 1, six armed men on board a white Toyota Innova took the victim and his companion, Atabay, while waiting for a bus near the LRT Central Station.

“While on the way to the safehouse, they dropped Atabay,” Dumlao said.

The kidnappers then demanded P30 million for the release of the victim. They also threaten harm on the victim should the ransom demand not paid.

AKG operatives then located the safehouse and resulted in the rescue of the victims and the arrest of the three suspects during the operation at around10:30 a.m. on Friday last week.

How it was solved

Dumlao said it was actually Atabay, the companion of the victim who was also kidnapped, who became the instrument in solving the kidnapping.

He said the investigation skills of his men led to the cops concluding that Atabay has something to do with the kidnapping.

First, the AKG operatives have already sensed something wrong in the conflicting statements of Atabay when the cops talked to him to extract information about the kidnapping.

What further drew the suspicion of the cops was that it was Atabay who was being contacted by the kidnappers about the ransom demand.

The AKG operatives then pressed on Atavay until he eventually spilled the beans.

“He later revealed that he knew where the kidnapped victim is being detained. The AKG operatives proceeded to the area and in coordination with the local officials successfully rescued the victim, and arrested the suspects,” Dumlao said.

Charged

Dumlao said the suspects, both arrested and remain in hiding, were already charged with kidnapping for ransom with serious illegal detention.

“They are presently under the temporary custody of this Group pending the issuance of their commitment order from the court,” Dumlao said.