Friday, February 01, 2008 BI 7 arrests Indian for kidnapping
AN Indian national who allegedly made millions of pesos by masterminding the kidnapping of fellow Indians in Luzon was arrested in Mandaue City the other night by Bureau of Immigration (BI) 7 intelligence officers.
Sukhdev Singh Bhangu, who had a P25,000 bounty on his head, allegedly tried to bribe immigration officers with P500,000 in exchange for his freedom.
The reward money was put up by the Indian community in Bataan province. Some members of the community reportedly fell victims to him.
But Bhangu was locked up at the BI 7 jail after his arresting officers rebuffed the offer.
Relatives of the victims of Bhangu’s group trooped to the BI 7 office and identified him as the brains of the kidnapping of Indian nationals in various parts of the country.
BI 7 Director Geronimo Rosas ordered a thorough investigation to find out whether Bhangu’s kidnap-for-ransom group is now operating in Cebu or Bhangu just came to here to try to flee through Mactan Cebu International Airport.
‘A mistake’
“If he had planned to escape through the Mactan airport, it was a mistake because we are very strict in enforcing the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940,” Rosas said.
Lawyer Brandon Enad of the BI 7 legal division said that Bhangu’s group is dangerous because they killed some of their victims whose families failed to meet their ransom demands.
The Bataan police, headed by Supt. Odelon Ramoneda, placed Bhangu in the wanted list after three other Indian nationals-Bootah Singh alias Jun Bombay, Gurmeet Singh and Sukhdev Raj-were arrested and confessed to their participation in a kidnap-for-ransom case in Nov. 28, 2007 in Orani town.
They identified Bhangu as the mastermind.
All four Indians are facing kidnapping charges filed in Bataan by Raghbir Chand, who is allegedly one of their victims.
Bhangu allegedly passes himself off as a priest to gain the trust and confidence of the Indians in a certain community. He would often be invited in the houses of Indian nationals for prayers.
In an interview, Bhangu admitted that he has a wife in India and another wife named Josephine Delon in Caloocan City, which made it possible for him to secure a permanent resident visa in the Philippines.
Rosas said that Bhangu has an Alien Control Registration (ACR) that is valid until 2010.
Rosas said that BI 7 operatives, headed by Ferdinand Balbuena, conducted a month-long surveillance operation after some Indians informed them that Bhangu is already in Cebu and is possibly still heading a kidnap-for-ransom syndicate.
Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan issued a mission order, which was served to Bhangu before his arrest.
Rosas ordered Balbuena to escort Bhangu to Libanan for appropriate action. (EOB)
