Caloocan cops collar kidnapper

A 31-year-old man finally fell into the hands of authorities almost two months after kidnapping a two-year-old boy in Caloocan City, authorities said in a belated report yesterday.

The victim was safely rescued by Caloocan police.

Senior Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, city police chief, said suspect Renato Martinez, of Project 4, Quezon City, has been detained for kidnapping after demanding P50,000 for the victim’s freedom. Investigation showed Martinez is a distant relative of the victim’s 22-year-old mother. The victim is reportedly undergoing post-psychological trauma therapy.

PO2 Nicah Belo, of the Women and Children’s Protection Desk, said the victim was rescued last Saturday at the suspect’s safehouse in Quezon City.

Prior to this, the police said the victim and the suspect were, by sheer coincidence, seen by a relative walking along Mother Ignacia street in Quezon City and secretly followed them.

She then informed the boy’s mother and sought police assistance. The police quickly launched a rescue operation.

The victim was abducted at around 5:20 a.m. of Aug. 3. It was not clear how the suspect gained entry into the victim’s house.

On Sept. 1, the suspect called the family and demanded from the mother P50,000 in ransom in exchange for her son’s release. The victim’s family, however, failed to oblige, saying they did not have that kind of money.

Last Oct. 27, the suspect again called the parents of the victim informing them that their son’s body was being attended at the National Children’s Medical Center morgue. Upon verification, however, they learned this was not true.