Police have rescued an 11-year-old girl abducted right outside her school in Commonwealth, Quezon City all because her parents failed to settle a cash debt of P30,000.
Saima Pacasmo, of BF Filinvest Homes, Batasan Hills, and a student of the Commonwealth Elementary School, was rescued the other day following an entrapment operation.
Lawmen apprehended two of the five suspects, identified as Punod Ibrahim, 61, and his son Menzo, 21. They are now detained at the Central Police District headquarters awaiting proper charges to be filed.
The elder suspect’s brother, Saamina, is being tagged as the "mastermind" in the abduction, which also involves his wife Pangalian and nephew Jabar. All three are still at large.
Investigators said Pacasmo’s parents, Arabia Ampaso and Jimboy Hassin owed the Ibrahims some P30,000. The victim’s mother apparently failed to pay off the debt, which resulted in the girl’s abduction last Sept. 18.
The Ibrahims, however, demanded P150,000 and a Nokia 8210 cellphone as payment for the girl’s release.
Police rescued Pacasmo at 4:30 p.m. the other day during an entrapment operation inside the suspects’ home in Kaunlaran Street, Barangay Commonwealth.
As Ampaso handed over marked money to Punod and Menzo, policemen pounced on the suspects. The girl was immediately released.
She was unharmed but sources said she was "dehydrated" and "still in shock."
Pacasmo was kept in captivity for 12 days at a Muslim district in Taguig while negotiations for her release were being undertaken.
For their part, Punod told The Star that he and his sons (Menzo and Jabar) did not have anything to do with the alleged kidnapping, saying "it was all the work of Saamina and Pangalian."
"My sons and I were just caught up in this thing. We didn’t do anything wrong. It’s unfair. My brother kidnapped her and it was all his doing," Punod said.
Police Superintendent Raul Medina, chief of the CPD-Central Investigation Unit, and Inspector Bevin Fabillar have deployed police teams "in all places where the remaining suspects are believed to be hiding."
All five suspects could face charges of serious illegal detention, kidnap-for-ransom and violation of the Republic Act 7610, or the Anti-Child Abuse Law.