WITH the arrest of five policemen allegedly involved in kidnapping, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Northern Mindanao is investigating if these law enforcers are also involved in other illicit activities or if they have been operating as a syndicate.
The NBI-Northern Mindanao Assistant Regional Director lawyer Hans Barbaso said they will be digging deeper into the alleged kidnapping of Enrique Fernandez III last October 23 to check if the alleged perpetrators, all policemen and police assets, were acting on their own or were part of a syndicate.
Senior Inspector Ereneo Ramirez, Police Officer 3 Alejandro Ubanan, Senior Police Officer 2 Jojo Lim, Senior Police Officer 1 Alaindelon Tacubao and Police Officer 2 Sangkula Hussein, were all members of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office’s (Cocpo) Crime Against Person and Property Desk (CAPPD).
Ramirez was chief of the unit.
Barbaso said the NBI will also probe if the suspects were involved in illegal drugs.
The policemen were arrested by NBI-Northern Mindanao agents at the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Northern Mindanao headquarters in Camp Vicente Alagar, Barangay Lapasan last Tuesday, November 15.
Due to the arrest, City Police Director Senior Superintendent Ronnie Francis Cariaga said his office has been unable to find new officers for the CAPPD.
"It is really hard to find replacements for the five police officers of the CAPPD as of this moment. I cannot say when the desk can be activated again and still, there are no candidates for the position yet," Cariaga said.
Cariaga said, however, he will be prioritizing the replacement of the unit's personnel in the next few days.
Cariaga added the CAPPD is responsible for the reports and investigations concerning robbery, carnapping, burglary and other related cases.
Complaints, Cariaga said, can still be forwarded to other police office units in Cagayan de Oro City as well as the central city police office since as of the moment, the functions of the CAPPD can be done by the City Investigation and Detective Management Unit. (With a report from Abigail Viguella)