NCRPO discovers young girl concocted kidnap tale which went viral on social media

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. on Saturday ordered the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to intensify their crackdown on motor vehicles running in Metro Manila and other parts of the country without plate numbers as part of their stepped-up anti-criminality drive.

According to the top cop, he wants the PNP-HPG and other territorial units as well to be very strict in checking “plateless” vehicles and those using unauthorized plates, sirens, blinkers and other gadgets amid their effort to fully enforce the traffic code and other pertinent road laws.

He issued the instruction amid fake news that white vans are being used by criminals to abduct targets in the metropolis and other parts of the country.

However, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director, Brigadier Gen. Jonnel C. Estomo said that one such reported case which went viral on social media is not true and that a young girl has confessed she merely fabricated her claim that three men onboard a white van attempted to kidnap her in Caloocan City.

Azurin said he has likewise ordered PNP-HPG director, Brig. Gen. Cliffod B. Gairanod to intensify their campaign against motor vehicle and motorcycle theft in coordination with the Land Transportation Office.

The PNP chief called on the public to immediately report to the nearest police station suspected stolen vehicles and those without license plates especially if their occupants appear to be suspicious-looking.

Caloocan kidnapping fake news

Estomo said they have discovered that the reported kidnapping try on a young girl in Caloocan City which went viral in the social media in reality is fake news merely fabricated by the complainant.

The official said that he ordered a thorough investigation into the purported Caloocan City abduction case with his men partnering with the local government unit and residents in the particular community.

“According to our investigators, the minor victim initially alleged that she overheard the plan of three male persons alighting from a white van that they will tie her up and force her inside the vehicle. Further she said that if not for the help of a passing tricycle and an unidentified bystander, she would have been taken away,” Estomo said.

However, he said that local policemen who conducted an ocular inspection of the area where the alleged incident took place and interviewed witnesses found out that no such incident really took place.

He said that one resident living around the area signed a written affidavit that she indeed noticed a grey Toyota Hiace parked therein for about five minutes on the date and time mentioned by the victim. However, she did not witness any such kidnapping attempt nor any person alighting from the van.

The tricycle driver mentioned by the victim as the one who helped her retrieve her belongings and brought her home also signed a statement that he did not notice anything unusual with the minor especially signs of anxiety and fear when he first saw her.

Estomo said that with the assistance of social workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Caloocan City police requested the alleged victim and her mother to particularly identify the place where the purported abduction try took place. However, the minor kept altering the location after learning that CCTV cameras were installed in the areas they visited.

“Despite the seemingly vague situation, our police officers persisted to dig deeper into this issue for the welfare of the victim and the peace of mind of the community. Later on, it was reported to us that the minor admitted to her mother that no such incident really happened and that she merely made up that kidnapping tale,” Estomo said.

The NCRPO chief said that the mother of the child already apologized for the mess and the “kidnapping” scare her daughter brought to the public. She also appealed to the general public especially to the netizens to discern the news they read and watch in social media.

“Hence, we enjoin everyone to be extra vigilant in appreciating news and reports seen and read in various social media platforms to prevent undue and unnecessary anxiety and fear from spreading in our communities. Best of all, shun to jeer at the privilege and be more responsible in using social media more so if it concerns public safety or national security and to think before clicking or face the harsh consequence of breaching the law,” he said.

Estomo maintained that Metro Manila remains generally peaceful and that the NCRPO is on top of the situation as they keep the streets safe 24/7.

“Our police are just around the corner ready to respond to your needs and emergencies. We assure everyone that our streets and villages are safe to walk and live with respectively,” he said.