SAN CARLOS CITY -- Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil Jr., provincial director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo), Thursday warned the public against fake policemen.
He issued the reminder after a man from General Santos City was arrested last Monday when he pretended to be the head of Nocppo.
Castil said it is important to always check the identities of other people through their identification cards.
He said people should not be deceived by persons who wear police uniforms.
To avoid being victimized, always be cautious while talking to somebody you’ve just met, Castil said.
On Thursday, Castil presented to the media suspect Noel Celestino, in the presence of Superintendent D’ Artagnan Katalbas, officer-in-charge of San Carlos City Police Station, in a press conference here.
Celestino was arrested last Monday after he deceived a group of pastors and a policeman when he attended a church activity in this city.
He introduced himself to a group of pastors as Senior Superintendent Noel Garcia and asked for P1,500 from one of them.
The pastors even booked him a hotel room.
Celestino was traced after he was reported by Police Officer 1 Epifanio Salem, a member of the Regional Public Safety Battalion-Western Visayas, whom he assured help for the latter’s reassignment.
Salem said he knew Castil, but he was tricked by Celestino, who claimed to be a newly-assigned police official at Nocppo headquarters.
Charges for usurpation of authority were filed against Celestino, who is detained at the station.
Celestino admitted his offense and asked forgiveness for his mistake, claiming that it was just a “joke.”
He said he came up with the idea because he also wanted to become a policeman.
The suspect said he arrived in the province last month to look for his cousin but he was not able to see him.
Katalbas said they are still conducting an investigation on Celestino’s alleged unidentified companion.