BONGABON, Nueva Ecija – Two persons who allegedly identified themselves as members of the “New People’s Army – Red Vigilante Group” in text messages to extort money were arrested while claiming cash from a money transfer firm branch here Friday, police reported on Sunday.
The suspects were identified as Benjamin Delfi n, 54, construction worker and Samuel Eligado, 45, farmer, both of Barangay Larcon this municipality. Bongabon used to be an insurgency-affected town and the birthplace of RVG.
SPO1 Bradimer Telo, investigator, said that another companion of the suspects identifi ed as a certain Waldo managed to escape “after sensing that his cohorts were being arrested.”
Investigation disclosed that at least two residents, including a 34-year-old woman from Barangay Larcon and a branch manager of a motorcycle sales company here have received text messages from the group, the former on Oct. 30, and the latter on Oct. 31, asking for P15,000 from each of them.
In the text messages, police said, the suspects claimed they were members of a gunfor- hire group and the NPA and “threatened to kill them” if they refused to yield to their demand.
“The suspects then instructed the victim to deposit the money to Smart Padala- Bongabon branch,” police reported. This prompted the authorities, upon receiving complaints from the victims to hatch an entrapment operation.
Telo said police arrested the suspects while receiving the money from transfer fi rm using the control number and reference numbers pre-recorded for the operation purposes. Telo said charges of extortion where being filed against the suspects.
