TACLOBAN CITY - Three policemen were nabbed in an entrapment operation for alleged extortion on a former female detainee in Palo, Leyte, on Friday, March 10.
The suspects were identified as Senior Master Sgt. Alex Asis, 55; Cpl. Jerwin Dacillo, 36; and Staff Sgt. Raffy Reposar, 34, all residents of Palo, Leyte.
The entrapment operation stemmed from the complaint of a former detainee, who was allegedly being extorted by the policemen to release her motorcycle that was taken into custody when she was arrested.
The former detainee had been arrested for robbery-xxtortion and fixing under Section 21(b) of the Republic Act 9485 (Anti-Red Tape Act) as amended by RA 11032 last October 29, 2021.
The suspects were nabbed inside the Palo Municipal Police Station by a composite team from the Integrity Monitoring and Enhancement Group Visayas Field Unit (IMEG-VFU), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the local police.
The team confiscated six P1,000 bills used as marked money, cellphones, and other pieces of evidence from the suspects.
Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, Police Regional Office 8 Director, said the entrapment operation should serve as a stern warning that they will never tolerate any wrongdoing and illegal acts committed by any police officer.
"Both criminal and administrative charges will be filed against any erring personnel if evidence warrants under the law," he said.