Teen snatched other kids, cops say

MANILA, Philippines - A 15-year-old boy arrested for kidnapping a two-year-old girl in Manila had taken three other children before, a police official said yesterday.

Quezon City Police District director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano said a doctor and social workers talked to the boy after his arrest Monday morning and found he has symptoms of mental illness.

The toddler was the fourth child the teenager had snatched, according to Senior Inspector Rowena Lambojo. “Ipapasyal lang daw niya (He wanted to take them for a walk),” she said, adding that the boy returned the children after doing so.

The teenager was held on Monday morning after being seen carrying the girl at the Quezon Memorial Circle. The boy said he picked up the toddler while her grandmother was asleep on the sidewalk in Quiapo, Manila on Sunday, Lambojo said.

Policemen found in the boy’s possession P3,000, which the teenager claimed he earned from selling recyclables he had picked up.

The boy’s mother had come forward but authorities have yet to trace the family of the kidnapped girl. She  claimed her son has been on medication.

The boy’s mother said her son witnessed an accident that led to the amputation of his elder sister’s leg, Lambojo said. She added that the boy was also affected by his younger sister’s death in another incident.