A POLICE official confirmed Wednesday, December 14, that the wife of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea is the same Maria Medialdea who was earlier victimized by an extortion syndicate with ties in Cagayan de Oro City.
Chief Inspector Maricris Mulat, Police Station 1 chief, said they received information on the extortion case from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) central office through its Northern Mindanao office.
Mulat said they were briefed by the NBI that Medialdea’s wife had already given P30,000 to the extortion syndicate, which was claimed by 59-year-old Adelfa Perez, a resident of Vamenta, Carmen, in Cagayan de Oro City at a remittance center in Divisoria.
Operatives from Police Station 1 and the City Intelligence Unit of Cagayan de Oro City Police Office arrested Perez last November 26.
"Wife siya sa executive secretary but dili siya sa CDO (Cagayan de Oro) nagpuyo, diri lang gi-claim sa suspect ang money (She is the wife of thee executive secretary but she's not living in Cagayan de Oro. The suspect just claimed the money here)," Mulat said.
The NBI-Northern Mindanao agent Pastor Oran said they are still tracking the location of the principal and other suspects after Perez posted P2,000 bail for the robbery through intimidation case filed against her.
Oran said the NBI is following up on leads provided by Perez.
Oran said the Medialdea case is similar to the modus of other extortion syndicates that supposedly extorts money from victims whom they initially terrorize by informing them of their inclusion to a "kill order" or kill list.
In exchange for a specified amount, Oran said members of the syndicate would inform their victims that their names can be removed from the list.
Oran said the syndicate might have selected their victims from social media and advised the public not to carelessly post personal information on the Internet.
Oran also cautioned everyone to be careful in giving personal numbers.
"Posible mangawat sila og identity then i-add nila sa social media ilang prospect victims so kung mahimo, dili na lang magbutang of personal number. One way also is ang number posible napasa-pasa na hangtod nakaabot sa sindikato (It's possible that they stole other's identity then they add their prospect victims on social media so as much as possible, they won't add personal number. One way also is that the number was passed around until it reached to the syndicate)," Oran said.
Oran also warned the public against strangers who ask them to, in exchange for a small amount, pick up money from remittance centers as what may have happened to Perez.
Oran said Perez, who claimed the alleged extorted proceeds was possibly unaware that she was used by the extortion syndicate in claiming the money sent by Medialdea.
"Dili diretso mosalig sa mga tao nga maghangyo nga gamiton ang inyong ID and kamo ang ipakuha sa kwarta (Don't easily trust the people who asks to use your ID and for you to get the money) in exchange of a 'share' sa amount extorted," Oran said.
"Posible victim ra pud si Perez (It's possible that Perez is also a victim)," Oran added.