Police rescued a kidnapped 59-year-old businessman in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija on Monday, Jan. 26.
Three suspects, one of them the alleged mastermind and the victim’s own cousin, a 49-year-old AWOL police officer, were arrested.
Authorities said that the suspects arrived in his warehouse in Barangay Kapitan and forced him at gunpoint into his red Toyota pickup truck and fled.
They demanded a ransom of ₱5 million for his release.
However, they caused a hit-and-run incident that injured two people in Barangay Bakod Bayan, Cabanatuan City.
Angry residents pelted their vehicle with stones. The injured were taken to a hospital.
The vehicle was abandoned and recovered in Barangay Bakod Bayan.
The suspects fled using other vehicles and public transportation.
Police used tracking data from the victim’s cellphone to locate the mastermind in San Miguel, Bulacan while allegedly trying to sell it.
Follow-up operations led to the arrest of the two other suspects: A 34-year-old single male from Barangay Barrera, Cabanatuan City, and a 27-year-old married male from Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.
The suspects face kidnapping cases.
Police Col. Heryl “Daguit” L. Bruno, Nueva Ecija police chief, praised the quick response of operating units.
“The knowledge and authority gained from police service are meant to protect the public—not to be exploited for crime,” he said.