4 QC policemen facing extortion raps

At least four members of the Philippine National Police are facing criminal charges after extorting money from a 30-year-old salesman whom they had allegedly caught having sex with a woman inside his car the other night in Quezon City.

Complainant Aldrin Astudillo, a resident of Block 31, Lot 20, Lagro Subdivision, said that the still unidentified policemen extorted P10,000 from him in exchange for his freedom.

The complainant said he failed to get the names of the suspects, but is confident that he could identify them through photographs and other visual records.

Initial investigation showed that the incident took place at about 9:45 p.m. along Hibosas Street in New Manila, Quezon City.

Astudillo, who was with a female companion on board his Nissan Sentra (THT-920), was cruising around the area and parked his vehicle in a dimly-lit portion.

The complainant was reportedly "minding his business" when four uniformed members of the PNP alighted from a marked vehicle and approached their car.

Astudillo said that one of the policemen threatened him with arrest, and that he was very intimidated by him. The complainant pleaded with the police, as the four suspects took advantage of the situation – demanding that Astudillo pay them P30,000 and that they would let him go.

After some negotiations, the amount was later reduced to P10,000 which Astudillo gave the four policemen after withdrawing the cash from an automated teller machine in Philcoa, Quezon City.

Operatives of the Central Police District are now conducting follow-up operations on the case, and are working closely with the complainant to identify the suspects. – Matthew Estabillo