Kidnap victim's second associate found dead in Pangasinan

MANILA, Philippines – Another associate of an Indian national who survived a kidnap try in Pasay City on Dec. 20, 2010 was found dead in Pangasinan, police said yesterday.

Chief Superintendent Jose Arne de los Santos, director of the Southern Police District (SPD), said the body of Andy Bryan Ngie was found Dec. 21 under the bridge of a Roman Catholic cemetery in Barangay Poblacion, Labrador town.

Ngie’s feet, hands and head were bound with masking tape. He was shot in the head with a .45 caliber automatic pistol as evidenced by a spent shell and slug recovered in the area.

Kidnap victim James Khumar’s other associate, Ferdinand Sales, was found also last Dec. 21 in Abucay, Bataan.

De los Santos said the Pasay City police filed yesterday kidnapping with murder charges before the city prosecutor’s office against Chief Inspector Edwin Faycho, head of the anti-drug unit of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), and several of his men for the killing of Sales.

Faycho and his men were also charged with attempted kidnapping with frustrated murder for the failed kidnap try on Khumar, president of the Khalsadiwan Indian Sect Temple, and frustrated murder for the shooting of Senior Inspector Renato Apolinario of the Pasay City police.

They were also accused of car theft for stealing Ngie’s Mazda Friendee van.

De los Santos said Charlie Lou, who identified himself as an agent of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), was among those charged. Lou and an unidentified man were caught by a surveillance camera withdrawing P5,000 and P2,000 from Ngie’s account at an automated teller machine in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan on Dec. 21.

STAR sources said the man with Lou is a police officer assigned at a unit near Faycho’s office in the QCPD headquarters at Camp Karingal. The policeman, who has sent surrender feelers, is a relative of Lou, the source added.

De los Santos said they would amend the charges against Faycho and his men to include another kidnapping with murder charge as soon as they get the documents regarding the discovery of Ngie’s body.

Khumar, Sales and Ngie were on their way to the Pasay City police headquarters when armed men surrounded their van. Khumar managed to get out and run for cover behind Apolinario, who was in police uniform.

The armed men identified themselves as policemen and demanded that Apolinario hand over Khumar, who they described as a “criminal,” but Apolinario refused when the armed men failed to present documents supporting their claim.

The suspects shot Apolinario and Khumar, who both sustained gunshot wounds but survived.

The suspects commandeered Ngie’s van and sped off, taking Ngie and Sales with them.

QCPD director Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele disarmed and restricted to quarters Faycho and his men, who were identified by Khumar as among his abductors.