Viral video of attempted abduction in Caloocan, ‘fake news’
POLICE filed criminal charges against a 19-year-old woman who posted on her Facebook account a viral video of a rider who allegedly tried to force her to ride his motorcycle in Caloocan City after investigators found out that it was just her doing.
Caloocan Police Chief P/Col. Ferdinand Del Rosario said investigators handling the case found out that the woman and her supposed kidnapper knew each other based on the other footage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera gathered by police in a nearby area before the incident of alleged attempted abduction happened along Alma Jose St., Barangay 177 in the early morning of September 4.
Del Rosario said a copy of CCTV footage gathered by police probers showed that the victim and the alleged suspect were riding in a motorcycle heading towards Alma Jose St. in Bgy. 177.
Another footage showed that the victim alighted from the motorcycle before they were caught in another CCTV camera in Brgy. 177 shows the rider allegedly “forcing” the woman to ride with him.
When the footage posted by the victim went viral, the Northern Police District (NPD) held a press conference where the victim narrated that she was on her way to church when she was approached by the suspect, who allegedly introduced himself as a police officer, and tried to force him to ride with him but she refused.
She even cried during the press conference and gave a reminder to a woman like her not to trust a stranger who would offer them a ride.
Police learned that the woman removed the viral video from her Facebook account after discovering that the authorities had already found out what she had done.
Del Rosario said charges for violation of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code or the “Unlawful Use of Means of Publication and Unlawful Utterances” and violation of Article 353 or Libel will be filed against the woman before the Caloocan City Prosecutor’s Office.
Acting Regional Director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) P/Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo lauded the Caloocan Police for thoroughly investigating the fake attempted kidnapping.
