Parents warned vs baby-snatchers

MANILA, Philippines - Parents should beware of persons asking them if they want their babies to be commercial models, the Mandaluyong City police said yesterday.

Chances are, these “recruiters” are members of a gang specializing in kidnapping infants, city police chief Senior Superintendent Florendo Quibuyen said.

He issued the warning after a couple lost their three-month-old daughter to a woman who identified herself as Lovelyn Casipe.

Investigators said Casipe appeared at the doorstep of the couple’s house last Thursday, asking for a place to rent.

The following day, Casipe returned and convinced the baby’s mother to make her child a model for a brand of milk. In return, the mother would receive a monthly supply of milk and a stipend for her schooling. 

Casipe asked the mother for additional information about the baby, including the milk and vitamins she is given and a copy of her birth certificate.

Last Saturday, Casipe returned to the couple’s house and took the baby, claiming it was for a rehearsal of the commercial. The suspect promised to return the child before nightfall, but both Casipe and the baby remain missing as of yesterday.

Quibuyen has ordered a manhunt for Casipe.