Kidnapper shot dead, 3 others nabbed in San Mateo

Police operatives shot dead a kidnapper and arrested three others, including the alleged mastermind, during an operation to free a kidnapped Indian businessman in San Mateo, Rizal yesterday.

Combined elements of the Marikina and San Mateo police and anti-kidnapping agents, rescued Kharnal Singh Ghalal, 35, before his relatives could pay the P5 million ransom demanded by his abductors.

Police identified the slain kidnapper as Joel Rojo while those arrested were Romeo Castillo, 34; Bien Torofiel, 36; and the alleged mastermind, Onkar Singh, 26, alias Abdul.

Castillo, Torofiel and Singh are now undergoing tactical interrogation at the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) at Camp Crame.

Police said Ghalal, of 1213 Capt. Sendo St., Barangay de la Pena, Marikina City, was nabbed by Castillo and his companions while he was collecting payment for his business loans in Sandalwood St., in Barangay Concepcion 2 at 7:30 a.m. Monday.

The suspects dragged Ghalal into a waiting L-300 van with no plate number, police said. Castillo brought Ghalal to his house in Vista Hermosa in Barangay Gulod, San Mateo town.

The kidnappers contacted the victim’s family and demanded P5 million.

The family, however, reported the kidnapping to the police, who requested them not to pay ransom and cooperate instead for the arrest of the suspects.

Unknown to Castillo and his group, their barangay chairman Rodolfo Doromal got wind of the kidnapping and reported the presence of Ghalal to police authorities.

Armed with information provided by Doromal, PACER agents and the Marikina and San Mateo policemen surrounded Castillo’s house early yesterday morning and waited for their chance to strike.

At 7:30 a.m., the raiders stormed the house and the surprised Rojo tried to reach for his gun tucked in his waist. The raiders opened fire.

Recovered from Rojo was a caliber .38 revolver. Castillo immediately surrendered.

During tactical interrogation, Castillo pointed to Singh as their mastermind. "Si Singh daw ang tagaturo kung sinong Indian national na mayaman ang kikidnapin ng grupo (It was Singh who reportedly identifies wealthy Indian nationals who will be abducted by the group)," said police investigator SPO2 Bien Justo of the San Mateo police.

Singh did not resist when policemen arrested him at his house in St. Francis Subdivision in Cainta, Rizal. Two other kidnappers, identified only by their aliases as Roger and Jessie, escaped.

Police operatives were combing Castillo’s neighborhood when they arrested Torofiel hiding behind a cogon grass at 10 a.m. — With Cecille Suerte-Felipe