ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 6 Feb) – Policemen arrested Wednesday afternoon two suspected extortionists in an entrapment operation in Barangay Ayala here, police said.
Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the suspects as Jomar Pillay, 21, of Barangay Lakiki, Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte; and Gerwin Luania, of Barangay Sto. Niño, also of Sibuco.
Huesca said the suspects were collared by joint Police Stations 9 and 10 personnel in the entrapment operation at 3:30 p.m.
Huesca said the entrapment was carried out after a D’ Biel Transit Company official, whose identity was withheld, reported to Police Station 10 in Barangay Labuan that the suspects had demanded money from him, the amount of which was not disclosed.
The official further said the suspects have threatened to bomb the buses of the transport company if their demand is turned down.
Huesca said Senior Insp. Chester Natividad, Police Station 10 chief, coordinated with Senior Insp. Edilberto Alvarez, Police Station 9 commander, since the bus company official was set to handover the money to the suspects in Barangay Ayala, which is under Alvarez’ jurisdiction.
An entrapment operation was set and the suspects were arrested after they received the money from the bus company official, Huesca said.
D’ Biel Transit Company owns a fleet of passenger buses and vans plying the city proper-Labuan route and vice-versa.
The company also owns a similar fleet of vehicles plying the Isabela City-Lamitan City route and vice-versa in nearby Basilan province.
September 20 last year, three people were killed while another was wounded when a bomb exploded aboard one of the buses of D’ Biel Transit Company at its garage in Barangay Labuan.
The bus had just unloaded all its passengers coming from the city proper when the bomb placed at the mid-section of the vehicle exploded.