Drug bust mistaken for kidnap

ILOILO, Philippines — Local police sped off to Barangay Malusgod, Pototan, Iloilo Thursday afternoon after receiving reports of an apparent abduction.

But when they reached the "crime scene," the armed persons, three men and a woman, already left the area bringing with them the two "abducted" persons.

A quick investigation pointed to a white Toyota Innova as the armed persons' "getaway vehicle."

Immediately, responding policemen conducted a hot pursuit operation but the Innova proved fast enough for their vehicle.

Senior Inspector Aron Palomo, Pototan police chief, was subsequently informed about the incident.

He was somewhere near Barotac Nuevo town waiting for the arrival of Senate President Franklin Drilon when it happened.

"Had I been there, I could have also responded. But my gut feel was saying that it could not be a case of kidnapping," Palomo said. He then called the hotline of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency  to ascertain if latter conducted an operation in Pototan town.

Bingo! "It was then that we surmised that there was no kidnapping but a buy-bust operation," Palomo said.

"Thankfully, our police was not able to run after the PDEA operatives when they responded. Who knows? A misencounter could have happened," he added.

According to reports, employees of P and A Farm Supply located at Barangay Malusgod called the police station around 2 p.m. of Thursday after armed men entered their establishment.

The armed men, who were later known to be PDEA agents, were running after Don Palomar, 23, and his cousin, Neil John Sison, 29, both residents of the nearby San Jose Street, Pototan.

As PDEA operatives were about to arrest them, the two tried to escape by running inside the establishment. Witnesses claimed to have heard a gun fire but no slug was recovered in the area. Someone from the PDEA allegedly took the slug. PDEA later furnished the station with a report around 10 a.m. yesterday.

The report said the two suspects were yielded with P2,000 marked money during their arrest. —/JMD (FREEMAN)