THE Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested five suspects—including two active-duty police officers—for allegedly running an extortion scheme that targeted job applicants seeking entry into the police service.
PNP Chief PGen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. confirmed the arrests following a series of entrapment and follow-up operations conducted on September 12.
The initial sting took place outside a shooting range store in Barangay San Nicolas, City of San Fernando.
Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Regional Field Unit 3 and local police units caught three civilian suspects, aged 55, 59, and 62, in flagrante delicto.
The group allegedly demanded ₱250,000 from a 29-year-old PNP applicant to guarantee his admission into the force, a sum later negotiated down to ₱150,000.
Officers arrested the trio immediately after one suspect accepted marked money from the complainant.
Authorities recovered ₱1,000 in genuine marked bills, ₱50,000 in boodle money, mobile phones, government IDs, and a Honda Mobilio used by the group.
The entrapment capped a weeklong intelligence operation prompted by the applicant’s report on September 7. Follow-up investigations quickly implicated two active law enforcement personnel.
Investigators arrested a Police Lieutenant, who serves as Team Leader of the Basilan Provincial Cyber Response Team under the Anti-Cybercrime Group, in Quezon City.
Concurrently, a Patrolman assigned to the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Zambales Police Provincial Office was arrested inside Camp Olivas.
The Patrolman’s arrest occurred after a civilian suspect revealed the group was scheduled to meet the officer to deliver his share of the extortion proceeds.
Operatives recovered an additional ₱1,000 in marked cash and ₱9,000 in boodle money during the secondary operation.
“A police uniform is not a shield for wrongdoing,” Nartatez said, warning that corrupt personnel will face severe disciplinary and criminal action. “We will not tolerate rogue cops who betray the trust placed in them and bring disgrace to the organization.”
All five suspects remain in custody facing formal criminal charges.
