Girl rescued from uncle in Valenzuela

Police rescued a 16-year-old girl taken hostage by his drug-crazed uncle shortly before noon yesterday in Valenzuela City.

Superintendent Jose Marcelo, city police chief, said his men grabbed the suspect’s niece, Marivic Jotojot, of 5086 Independence street, Gen. T. de Leon, Valenzuela City from his clutches when the former got distracted as negotiations for her release were ongoing.

The police pounced on Eligio Pogoy, single, jobless of the same address as his father tried to convince him to give up.

It was gathered that the victim was preparing lunch when the suspect barged in and grabbed his niece. Poking a knife at her side, Pogoy dragged his niece out of the house.

As relatives and neighbors gathered around them, Pogoy asked for P10,000 and a taxi, apparently to be used as a getaway vehicle. It was at this point that responding policemen arrived and negotiations for the victim’s release began.

The victim’s grandfather later arrived and tried to convince the suspect to lay down his knife and surrender to the authorities. At the first opportunity, cops pounced on the suspect as the suspect hesitated at surrendering himself as negotiations wore on.

Pogoy has been detained at the police jail even as appropriate case are being readied against him. – Jerry Botial