Cops rescue kidnapped Tarlac businesswoman

TARLAC CITY - Alert policemen, backed by an effective communication system, rescued a 38-year-old businesswoman half an hour after she was kidnapped by three armed men in La Paz town yesterday, authorities said.

Superintendent Tito Bayangos, city police chief, said Amelia de la Cruz was snatched in Barangay Caramutan in La Paz town by the three suspects using a rented car with license plate TRW-248.

The abduction was immediately relayed over the two-way radio communication system of the police, prompting law enforcers here to set up roadblocks along the La Paz-Zaragosa Road.

A police mobile group, composed of PO3 Dante Dollaga and SPO1s Rodolfo Beltran and Policarpio Nario, caught up with the suspects and attempted to flag them down.

But the kidnappers refused to yield and upon reaching the Police Kababayan Center 3 in Barangay Maliwalo here, rammed a roadblock set up by the police.

This prompted SPO1 Richard Cayabyab, one of those manning the roadblock, to fire at the right rear tire of the suspects' car.

The three suspects, Crisanto Cruz, 38, his younger brother, Joselito, 35, both of Barangay Parangay, Concepcion town, and Miguel Mendoza of Barangay Maliwalo here, were immediately disarmed.

Police investigators later learned that the Cruz brothers were tagged as among the suspected big-time drug traffickers in Concepcion.

During interrogation, the elder Cruz claimed that they snatched De la Cruz because she is a friend of his live-in partner, a certain Mylene, who fled with his money, amounting to P240,000.

Mylene worked as a guest relations officer at the Bali Hotel's Starzone pubhouse owned by film producer Rose Flaminiano in this city. She has reportedly fled to Baguio City.