5 Manila Police Officers Face Extortion & Theft Charges
Authorities are currently searching for five police officers who have been accused of extortion and theft in a computer shop in Sampaloc, Manila on Tuesday (July 11, 2023).
According to the victim, Herminigildo Dela Cruz, 73, a group of armed men claiming to be police officers entered their computer shop after 11 PM. They allegedly conducted an operation against illegal gambling and first dismantled the CCTV cameras inside the shop and erased their contents.
“Sabi nila, nag-o-operate ka pala ng computer na nagpapasugal. Sabi ko, ang ano lang namin dito, magre-rent sila ng computer. Sabi niya, para hindi ka na (maaresto) kasi nag-aapura kami, magbigay ka na lang,” said Dela Cruz.
The suspects allegedly took over P40,000 in cash that Dela Cruz had set aside for his grandchild’s tuition fees. They also stole P3,500 from the cash register. Furthermore, they demanded an additional P4,000 as a weekly protection fee from the victim.
“Magbibigay daw ako, para hindi na ako guguluhin ng P4,000 every Friday. ‘Yung isa kinuha niya cellphone ko para pagpunta niya dito ng Friday, tatawagan niya ako. Oo na lang ako ng oo, natakot na ko,” added Dela Cruz.
During the police investigation, it was revealed that the suspects were members of the District Police Intelligence Operations Unit (DPIOU) of the Manila Police District. The authorities are also searching for a woman believed to be an asset of the group.
“May tracking team na tayo na tutugis sa kanila. Pati mga pamilya nila, pinuntahan na kasi hindi rin matukoy ng mga pamilya kung nasaan sila,” said PBGen. Andre Dizon, the District Director of MPD.
All personnel of the DPIOU have been relieved of duty and disarmed. Administrative and criminal charges are being prepared against the suspects.
“We all took an oath to serve our citizens faithfully and with excellence. It is not right for you to hide when you are faced with such incidents. Let’s face this,” emphasized Dizon.
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