The Philippine police recently cracked down on a case of extortion by impersonating government officials, arresting a Chinese national who pretended to be a member of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), along with two accomplices.
The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) announced that the case originated from a report by the PAOCC, where criminals used the institution's name to extort money by promising to help detainees get released.
According to the police investigation, two Chinese victims testified that the suspect initially asked for 1 million pesos under the pretext of "facilitating connections to help release a detained boyfriend." Not only that, but after succeeding, they demanded an additional 3.5 million pesos and threatened that if the ransom was not paid, the detainee would be tortured, and the victims themselves would face the risk of forced deportation.
Gilberto Cruz, the executive director of PAOCC, stated that this is the third recent case of fraud using the PAOCC's name, indicating the frequency and increasing severity of such criminal activities.
The main suspect in the case has now been formally charged with robbery extortion, and the police are further investigating whether there are more victims or other accomplices involved.
The Philippine police emphasized that they will continue to crack down on crimes that impersonate law enforcement agencies to commit fraud, maintaining public trust in government institutions.
