Tales of kidnapping by men in white van debunked by PNP
Published Dec 13, 2019 12:00 am
By Martin SadongdongÂ
The Philippine National Police (PNP) belied on Friday reports circulating in social media about the abduction of several individuals supposedly for the harvesting of their organs as perpetrated by men driving around the metropolis in a white van.
PNP spokesman P/Col. Bernard Banac
(PNP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said the latest proof was the discovery of a fake abduction story involving a 10-year-old boy in Bulacan. The boy, who was later identified as alias Melvin, of San Jose del Monte town, was said to be kidnapped by men in white van. His story immediately went viral after videos of him with scars in his belly were posted anonymously, suggesting that it was due to organ harvesting. However, Melvin's father, Rodolfo, appeared before the city police station to deny the allegations that his son was abducted. Rodolfo told police that his son ran away from their home on three separate occasions in the past. Rodolfo added that the scars on Melvin's belly were from a medical procedure back in 2016. Meanwhile, another viral video was that of a teenage girl who allegedly got kidnapped in Cavite using the same modus operandi. A video of the victim also surfaced while wounds in her body were evident. However, Banac cited a report from the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) that the girl ran away from their home and "inflicted the injuries on herself." He said the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) under PBGen Dennis Agustin, is thoroughly investigating the recent series of viral videos of separate purported abduction of minors in Bulacan and Cavite to identify the authors of these "fake news." "We admonish authors of 'fake news' circulating in social media platforms a series of purported abductions by suspects on board a white van," Banac said. "Based on the result of Cyber Patrolling and Open Source Investigation of PNP-ACG, it was found out that no recent abduction transpired using a white van nor reported series of abductions lodged in police stations and news networks," he added. The official said the reports about the alleged abductions of individuals using white van have been circulating in social media platforms as early as 2016 "but were found to be a hoax." "While isolated kidnapping cases may have occurred in the past, no organized and simultaneous abductions were confirmed," Banac said. "The PNP-ACG is monitoring online sources and validating reports through coordination with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Units (RACUs) to verify if such incidents indeed happened in their areas of responsibilities," he added. Banac warned that purveyor of fake abduction cases in social media may face charges including violation of Presidential Decree 90 (Declaring Unlawful Rumor-Mongering and Spreading False Information); and Unlawful Use of Means of Publication and Unlawful Utterances under Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Cyberbercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The PNP's statement came amid the unresolved case of a female Chinese POGO employee who was kidnapped by men in white van in Makati City earlier this week. READ MORE:Â Police: Chinese woman kidnapped along Paseo de Roxas was a POGO employee The incident was caught on a cellphone video and has gone viral in social media. The Makati police later confirmed the abduction case.
PNP spokesman P/Col. Bernard Banac(PNP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said the latest proof was the discovery of a fake abduction story involving a 10-year-old boy in Bulacan. The boy, who was later identified as alias Melvin, of San Jose del Monte town, was said to be kidnapped by men in white van. His story immediately went viral after videos of him with scars in his belly were posted anonymously, suggesting that it was due to organ harvesting. However, Melvin's father, Rodolfo, appeared before the city police station to deny the allegations that his son was abducted. Rodolfo told police that his son ran away from their home on three separate occasions in the past. Rodolfo added that the scars on Melvin's belly were from a medical procedure back in 2016. Meanwhile, another viral video was that of a teenage girl who allegedly got kidnapped in Cavite using the same modus operandi. A video of the victim also surfaced while wounds in her body were evident. However, Banac cited a report from the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) that the girl ran away from their home and "inflicted the injuries on herself." He said the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) under PBGen Dennis Agustin, is thoroughly investigating the recent series of viral videos of separate purported abduction of minors in Bulacan and Cavite to identify the authors of these "fake news." "We admonish authors of 'fake news' circulating in social media platforms a series of purported abductions by suspects on board a white van," Banac said. "Based on the result of Cyber Patrolling and Open Source Investigation of PNP-ACG, it was found out that no recent abduction transpired using a white van nor reported series of abductions lodged in police stations and news networks," he added. The official said the reports about the alleged abductions of individuals using white van have been circulating in social media platforms as early as 2016 "but were found to be a hoax." "While isolated kidnapping cases may have occurred in the past, no organized and simultaneous abductions were confirmed," Banac said. "The PNP-ACG is monitoring online sources and validating reports through coordination with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Units (RACUs) to verify if such incidents indeed happened in their areas of responsibilities," he added. Banac warned that purveyor of fake abduction cases in social media may face charges including violation of Presidential Decree 90 (Declaring Unlawful Rumor-Mongering and Spreading False Information); and Unlawful Use of Means of Publication and Unlawful Utterances under Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Cyberbercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The PNP's statement came amid the unresolved case of a female Chinese POGO employee who was kidnapped by men in white van in Makati City earlier this week. READ MORE:Â Police: Chinese woman kidnapped along Paseo de Roxas was a POGO employee The incident was caught on a cellphone video and has gone viral in social media. The Makati police later confirmed the abduction case.