Police probe alleged kidnapping, ‘rape’

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City police have conducted deeper investigation into the alleged kidnapping of an 18-year-old male who was sexually abused in Barangay Lusaran.

Police Lieutenant Col. Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office, said that the victim’s post on social media was different from the claim of his mother.

The police want the victim himself to tell what really happened on August 29, 2023, the same day he reportedly escaped from his abductors.

“Naa pud siya’y laing version sa panghitabo, amo pa nang ginasubay, para gyud maklaro ning tanan dapat siya gyuy mosulti kay siya man ang nahitaboan, we understand sa mama kay mama man ta,” Rafter said.

The police understood why the victim could not speak right after the incident, saying he may have traumatic experience.

Rafter said they have traced the alleged place of incident and found something impossible but they are not also discounting other possibility of the incident.

“Sa iyang gi-claim nga naay gidala sa katong isa ka communication tower, medyo layo-layo gyud siya, two kilometers away sa highway then naay murag dili feasible, there’s certain point kung asa lang taman ang motor then the rest going up maglakaw na gyud ka, so katong iyang gikuan nga nagsakay sa motor then gibuhian siya, gibilin siya didto sa tower we looking into it, we are not discounting it but gisusi pud namo,” Rafter said.

TOCMO CASE

Meanwhile, the CCPO is ready to take legal action if the claim of other witness of Rhea Mae Tocmo’s case is not true.

A certain Bianca Lee appeared and claimed that she had evidence about the death of Rhea Mae such as the CCTV footage in sitio Mohon 1, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City where the dead body of the victim was dumped.

Police Major Angelito Valleser, chief of the Labangon Police Station 10, has challenged the witness to show the evidence to the authorities.

He said they found out that he CCTV in the area was not functioning and that it is not easy to secure a CCTV footage.

Valleser said had the CCTV in the area functioned, it would not have taken them a month to file the case against the perpetrators of the crime.

“Ang procedure man gud anang CCTV footage once mokuha ka og CCTV kinahanglan ka mokuha og request sa kapulisan kung asa nga jurisdiction…Sukad sa hitabo from July 17 pagka discover na sa patay’ng lawas until now wala’y niabot diri sa among opisina ga request nga mo-extract sila og CCTV sa ato pa dili tinood nakuha og CCTV,” said Valleser.

Regarding the social media post of Rhea Mae’s family who said that the victim was still in contact with them on July 17, Valleser said such claim is impossible because it would contradict the discovery of the victim’s body.

This is because if Tocmo was killed on July 17, her dead body would not have been in a state of decomposition when it was checked by the medico legal.

“Lisod kaayo tuohan nga naka-message pa ana nga time July 17 nga alas 2 kay dili pa baho, dili nimo pwede istoryahan ang patay’ng lawas nga uy kabaho na diha kay kinahanglan naka mabaho kay nagkinahanglan nami og information nga mabaho naka,” said Valleser.

The police said that if the new witness does not trust them, she can go to another law enforcement agency for help.