CEBU CITY – A police officer was arrested by the Philippine National Police Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group for allegedly extorting money from a motorist here on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Staff Sgt. Paul Dennis B. Traya, traffic investigator of the Mambaling Police Station, was arrested in an entrapment operation at the parking lot of a hospital in Barangay San Nicolas.
Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7), said Traya will face administrative and criminal charges that may lead to dismissal from service.
Investigation showed that Traya was arrested following the complaint of a motorist he flagged down in a checkpoint on Tres de Abril St. around 3:20 p.m.
The motorist said the policeman seized his motorcycle but the nature of his traffic violation was not explained to him. Traya allegedly demanded P1,500 for the release of the motorcycle.
The motorist reported the incident to the IMEG-Visayas Field Unit.
The IMEG-VFU together with the Provincial Intelligence Unit (PIU) of the Cebu Police Provincial Office hatched an entrapment operation and arrested Traya after he received the marked money from the complainant.
Major Jonathan Taneo, chief of the Mambaling Police Station, said he was shocked to learn that Traya was arrested for extortion. Taneo said Traya was hardworking and he has not received any complaint against the suspect.
Pelare said the arrest of Traya is part of the internal cleansing within the police organization. “PRO 7 will never tolerate police scalawag,” said Pelare.