ZAMBOANGA CITY–Operatives of the Counter Intelligence Task Force (CITF) and Special Action Force (SAF) on Friday arrested a policeman in an entrapment operation for extortion in Isabela City, Basilan province.
Chief Supt. Edwin de Ocampo, deputy regional director for administration, identified the arrested policeman as PO3 Basir Alam, assigned with the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group 9 based in Isabela City.
De Ocampo said Alam was arrested after he received the marked money from a CITF operative, who posed as a cargo shipper, in an entrapment around 3:15 p.m. Friday at the port area of Isabela City.
He said the entrapment operation was initiated after the CITF validated a complaint they received through its hotline number that some PNP personnel are extorting PHP500 to PHP1,000 from cargo shippers in exchange for the issuance of travel clearance to board the ships plying the Isabela-Zamboanga route.
He said they were also able to confirm that the arrested policeman “was not issuing any official receipt to the shippers.”
He said the suspect was brought to the headquarters of the Basilan Provincial Police Office for documentation and processing for the eventual filing of case against him.
The CITF was created by then PNP Director-General Ronald Dela Rosa to run after policemen involved in illegal activities. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
