Three incidents of kidnapping were foiled in the cities of Parañaque and Navotas, the National Capital Region Police Office reported on Monday.
Authorities arrested Lilibeth Bustamante, 47, a resident of Manuyo Uno, Las Piñas City, who tried to kidnap a 10-year-old girl along Libas Street, Sampalok Site, BF Homes, Parañaque City.
Investigation showed that Bustamante asked the minor victim, who was playing near her house around 11:30 a.m., to accompany her to the nearest store in the area. The girl refused, prompting the suspect to grab her.
A neighbor who saw the incident intervened and reported the matter to the village watchmen on duty, resulting in Bustamante’s arrest. The suspect was later turned over to the police station.
During interrogation, Bustamante revealed that she was a member of a kidnapping group operating in Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Metro Manila.
Members of the Women and Children Protection Desk of Parañaque City Police Station conducted follow-ups and inquiries in Laguna Police based on the suspect’s claim that her group had allegedly kidnapped two minors in the province. However, response from Laguna PNP yielded negative results.
Meanwhile, Princess Diana Estabillo, 19, a resident of Marilao, Bulacan, was also arrested for trying to abduct a five-year-old boy along Pinaglabanan Street, Santa Rita Extension, Barangay Baclaran, also in Parańaque.
Police said the boy was playing outside their house around 6:30 p.m. last Thursday when Estabillo approached and asked him to accompany her in the comfort room.
The suspect then grabbed the boy’s hands and walked away but a bystander witnessed the incident and blocked their path.
The boy’s mother reported the incident to the authorities who arrested Estabillo.
At the police station, a woman claiming to be a sister of the suspect appeared and said the suspect is mentally disturbed. But the woman failed to provide any medical records to prove her claim.
In Navotas, another woman was caught trying to abduct a four-year-old nursery pupil in Tulay 1, Tabing Dagat in Barangay Daanghari around 9 a.m. on Monday.
The suspect was identified as Marites Gatchalian, 46, a native of Bacolod City. She is now detained and will be charged in court after the victim’s mother Rosemarie Reyes filed a complaint against her.
Reyes told investigators that Gatchalian held and pulled the hand of her son and tried to take him away. She immediately sought the help of neighbors resulting in the suspect’s apprehension.
NCRPO director Guillermo Eleazar commended the people in the community for helping police authorities in catching the criminal elements. He asked the public to be more vigilant and observant of their surroundings.
Eleazar also praised the police force for their sense of urgency and quick response.
“Safety and security is everybody’s concern. We can see that these cases were accomplished because of the alertness of the neighborhood. It is gratifying that the community has become a more dynamic partner of the PNP in crime prevention and crime solution.”