PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar yesterday ordered the immediate dismissal from the service of five Nueva Ecija policemen accused of involvement in the gruesome kidnap-murder of a female online seller whose body was found burned and buried in a makeshift grave in Palayan City farm.

“Mariin nating kinokondena ang pangyayaring ito. Sinisiguro ko sa inyong masisibak sa serbisyo at pananagutin natin sa batas ang lahat ng pulis na sangkot sa pagdukot at pagpatay kay Nadia Casar. Ang mga ganitong utak kriminal at sagad sa buto ang kasamaan ay nababagay mabulok sa kulungan,” the country’s top cop said.

Eleazar directed the PNP Internal Affairs Service to immediately initiate summary dismissal proceedings against the five cops and tasked the PNP-AKG headed by Brig. Gen. Rudolph Dimas and the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group headed by Brig. Gen. Flynn Dongbo to track down the remaining suspects.

The Journal Group earlier reported the case of Casar, a 35-year-old jewelry online seller, which prompted a thorough investigation by the PNP-AKG , leading to the identification of the suspects and the arrest of some of them.

The remains of the victim was exhumed by agents of the PNP-AKG, the PNP-IMEG, the Police Regional Office 3 and the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office in Sitio Pinagpala, Bgy/ Imelda, Palayan City around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Eleazar expressed his sympathies with the victim’s family as he vowed swift justice for her killing.

“Ipinapangako ko sa pamilya ng biktima na bibigyan natin ng hustisya ang pagkamatay ni Nadia. Ako mismo ang tututok sa kasong ito at sisiguraduhin ko na haharapin ng mga bugok na pulis na ito ang kaso laban sa kanila sa korte at pananagutan ang kanilang ginawang krimen,” he said.

The PNP chief also ordered a continuing investigation to determine if there were other policemen involved in the illegal activities of the five suspects identified as Staff Sgt. Benedict Reyes of the Sta. Rosa Municipal Police Station, SSgt. June Mallillin of the Palayan City Police Station, Cpl. Julius Alcantara of the Nueva Ecija PPO Drug Enforcement Unit, Master Sgt. Rowen Martin of the Cabanatuan City Police Station, and SSgt. Drextemir Esmundo of the Cabiao Municipal Police Station.

Two civilians identified as Franklin Macapagal and Dario Robarios were also implicated in the kidnap-slay case by a witness to the crime.

Eleazar said that Reyes, Mallilin, Alcantara and Robarios are now under the custody of the PNP-AKG while MSgt. Martin, SSgt. Esmundo and Macapagal are still being hunted.

According to Brig. Gen. Dimas, their investigation showed that Casar and a Grab driver she hired were kidnapped by at least five armed men around 1:45 p.m.last July 20 in Bgy. Tagpos in Sta. Rosa City in Nueva Ecija.

The Grab driver told PNP-AKG investigators he was robbed of his mobile phone and P4,500 cash by the suspects before being released around 3 a.m. of the next day.

Cpl. Alcantara surrendered and named his four colleagues as the men who kidnapped, killed and burned the victim. Another witness, who happened to be a caretaker of the farm where the victim was buried, revealed that she was ordered by Mallillin, Martin and Esmundo to bury the woman, whom they placed in a sack after killing her.

The crime scene was processed by the Nueva Ecija SOCO Team.

The PNP-AKG director said that SSgt. Reyes was arrested inside the Sta. Rosa City police headquarters last Thursday evening. He said that the policeman was positively identified by the Grab driver-turned state witness as the one who hired Casar to ferry her to Nueva Ecija.

Dimas described Casar as an online seller from Cavite who hired the Grab driver to ferry her to Sta. Rosa City. where she was to meet one “Kelly” who has been identified as Macapagal.

After the meeting, Casar and the driver were already on their way back to Cavite when they were intercepted by gunmen, who were riding a dark green pick-up truck and a motorcycle.

The driver was dragged into the pick-up by some of the suspects while the rest drove his vehicle with Casar inside.

The witness said they were first brought to the kidnappers’ safehouse, where he was divested of his mobile phone and cash.

He also told the PNP-AKG that he heard the suspects instructing Casar to contact her family and ask them to produce ransom for her liberty.

After he and his vehicle were released by the gunmen the following day, the witness immediately informed the victim’s family and they sought the help of the PNP-AKG.