Cops linked to viral gun-poking incident on EDSA

Social media is pretty powerful these days. Just ask the cops linked behind the gun-poking incident on EDSA that went viral on September 1.

Inquirer.net reported Monday (September 8) that the mystery behind the photo of the incident has been solved. It turns out that Quezon City policemen were allegedly the gunmen who were seen by a motorist cornering a white vehicle.

In a press conference on Monday, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Eastern Police District (EPD) revealed that eight members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were behind the robbery and kidnapping incident on the southbound lane of EDSA in Barangay Wack Wack, Mandaluyong City.

Two police officials from La Loma Police Station 1 were arrested, namely Chief Inspector Joseph de Vera and Senior Inspector Oliver Villanueva. Their six other colleagues still remain at large.

On Saturday, victims Ustadz Samanodin Abdul Gafur, a construction employee, and Camal Mama, driver, disclosed to the police that De Vera’s group intercepted their vehicle along EDSA around 2:45 p.m. on September 1. They were then brought to La Loma Police Station where De Vera was the officer-in-charge.

Chief Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta, EPD chief, said that the victims lost more than P2 million to the suspects who locked them up for seven hours. He added that De Vera disguised it as an anti-illegal drugs operation and pretended that he and his men were part of the Special Anti-Illegal Drugs task force.

Police said cases of brigandage and kidnapping with serious illegal detention were filed on Monday against the eight suspects.

For more on this story, log on to Inquirer.net.