Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. hailed the conviction of seven people in a high-profile kidnap-for-ransom case involving a 78-year-old businesswoman who was rescued during a police operation in Quezon City.
Nartatez said the conviction, secured after nine months of trial, showed the value of strong police operations, case build-up, and coordination with prosecutors.
“This case is proof not only of good planning and conduct of operations but also efficient case build-up. In just nine months, we were able to get the conviction of seven kidnappers, including the mastermind and former military men,” Nartatez said.
The victim, whose family is engaged in large-scale manufacturing, was forcibly taken by armed men along C3 Road in Quezon City on Sept. 2 last year.
The kidnappers later demanded P150 million in ransom from her family.
The family sought police assistance, but investigators initially had difficulty identifying the suspects because the abduction appeared to have been carefully planned.
Through backtracking and intelligence work, the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group traced the movement of the suspects and found that the victim had been hidden in Batangas.
Police said the rescue operation was sensitive because of the victim’s age and the risks involved in dealing with an armed kidnapping group.
A breakthrough came when the suspects brought the victim to a bank in Quezon City to withdraw P8 million. Police rescued the businesswoman and arrested three suspects during the operation.
Eight more suspects, including former military personnel, were later arrested in follow-up operations.
A Quezon City court sentenced seven of the accused to reclusion perpetua without eligibility for parole. Four others, who allegedly served as aides and caretakers, were acquitted after the court found that their guilt was not proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Nartatez commended the PNP-AKG for pursuing the case and vowed to sustain anti-kidnapping operations under the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
He also thanked the Department of Justice for its guidance in securing the conviction.
“The strong coordination between the PNP and the DOJ in running after criminal elements in this case is but concrete evidence of what we can achieve in maintaining peace and order through certainty of conviction of those who would dare break the law,” Nartatez said.
The PNP said the case was the first high-profile kidnap-for-ransom case solved under Nartatez’s leadership and served as a test case for the police force’s Enhanced Managing Police Operations.