3 cops held, 2 others at large over kidnap-slay of online seller

NUEVA ECIJA. Scene of the Crime Operatives find the charred remains of Nadia Casar. (Contributed/Central Luzon Police Regional Office)
NUEVA ECIJA. Scene of the Crime Operatives find the charred remains of Nadia Casar. (Contributed/Central Luzon Police Regional Office)

THREE of five policemen tagged in the gruesome killing of an online jewelry seller in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija are now detained, while two others and a civilian remain at large.

The policemen tagged in the crime are Police Staff Sergeant (SSg) Benedict Matias Reyes, assigned at the Sta. Rosa Municipal Police Station in Nueva Ecija; PSSg June Malillin of the Palayan City Police Station; Police Corporal Julius Alcantara of the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office Drug Enforcement Unit; Police Master Sergeant Rowen Martin, assigned at the Cabanatuan City Police Station; and PSSg Drextemir Esmundo, assigned at the Cabiao Municipal Police Station.

Their civilian cohorts were identified as Franklin Macapagal and Dario Robarios.

Charges of serious illegal detention, and robbery with kidnapping and murder will be filed against the suspects.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office Central Luzon Director Valeriano de Leon on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, said a Grab driver who had brought the victim Nadia Casar to Sta. Rosa witnessed the incident on July 20.

Mark, not his real name, said Casar met up with a client in Sta. Rosa. The client was later identified as Macapagal.

Mark said they were on their way back to Cavite at around 1:45 p.m. of July 20 when a group of armed men on board a pickup truck and a motorcycle intercepted them. Macapagal was among the men.

Mark said he was ordered to transfer to the pickup truck while one of the men drove his vehicle with Casar as passenger.

They were brought to a house and transferred to another in the evening.

Mark said their abductors ordered Casar to call her family and ask for money in exchange for her freedom.

Mark said he was released on July 21. He informed Casar's family, who sought assistance from the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group.

A team from the AKG and Mark went to the Sta. Rosa Police Station, where Mark identified one of the abductors in a photo showing a group of police officers.

Mark also identified Reyes, who was in the station. Reyes was immediately arrested.

Mark also identified Esmundo and Alcantara in other photos shown to him.

Alcantara surrendered and revealed that Malillin, Martin and Esmundo burned Casar’s body and placed it in a sack. They ordered Robarios to bury the body.

The charred body of Casar was found in Sitio Pinagpala, Barangay Imelda Valley, Palayan City on August 1.

Martin, Esmundo and Macapagal remains at large.

PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar condemned the cops and directed the Internal Affairs Service to immediately initiate summary dismissal proceedings against them.

“Ipinapangako ko sa pamilya ng biktima na bibigyan natin ng hustisya ang pagkamatay ni Nadia. Ako mismo ang tututok sa kasong ito at sisiguraduhin ko na haharapin ng mga bugok na pulis na ito ang kaso laban sa kanila sa korte at pananagutan ang kanilang ginawang krimen,” he said. (SunStar Philippines)

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph