City cops nab "extortionist"

ORMOC CITY, Philippines - — Policemen of this city have caught a "neophyte extortionist" last Friday afternoon after his would-be victim, who happened to be a brother-in-law of a police official, asked for police assistance.

The suspect, identified as Roberto Aguilar, 45 and native of Esperanza town in Agusan del Sur, attempted to extract P20,000 cash from Victor Espina, brother of the wife of a police general.

Policemen of City Station 1, headed by Sr. Insp. Ibrahim Jambiran, nabbed Aguilar at a Padala Center in the city where the suspect was about to pick up the money from the victim, as earlier agreed.

Jambiran said they closed in on Aguilar just in time he was picking up the money from Espina. The police also confiscated from the suspect three more extortion letters, one of which was demanding for P250,000 from a rice trader, while another for P50,000 from a scrap dealer and the third one for P100,000 from another rice trader.

The confiscated letters were handwritten on a yellow pad paper, in mixed Taglish and Bisaya, all with the same tenor of asking for a "Marry Christmas," with the warning that danger would befall them and their families if the "request" is refused.

Aguilar told The Freeman that the letter he sent to Espina was his first attempt at extortion. He said he had been residing in Ormoc for quite a time already and had a thriving business selling cellophane and other stuff before Yolanda.

Since his business was blown away, he thought of trying to extort money, thinking it was an easy way to get the loot. He even smiled for the camera as he posed beside the seized extortion letters, ice pick and cellphone.  (FREEMAN)