Zamboanga police station chief, 4 others held for extortion

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A police commander and four of his men were arrested in an entrapment on Monday night for alleged extortion.

Maj. Orlyn Leyte, acting chief of the Zamboanga City Police Station 9, and Sgts. Hehenio Salvador and Asser Abdulkarim as well as Cpls. Ismael Sasapan and Juman Arabani were collared after receiving P90,000 from a businesswoman in exchange for removing her name on the drug watchlist.

”It turned out that the suspects contacted the complainant and informed her that her name was included in the list of drug personalities being targeted for neutralization,” Integrity Enforcement and Monitoring Group director Col. Thomas Frias Jr. said.

The suspects are being held at the Zamboanga peninsula police office on charges of robbery extortion as well as violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standard for Public Officials  and Employees.

The PNP ordered pre-charge investigation and summary dismissal proceedings against the policemen,– Emmanuel Tupas, Roel Pareño