The three police officers from the Caloocan City Police Station were arrested after being operated upon in an entrapment operation conducted by the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG). They are facing charges of extortion and grave coercion.
The arrested police officers have the rank of police major, master sergeant, and patrolman, and serve in the custodial unit of Caloocan. According to the IMEG report, the operation was conducted based on the complaint of walk-in complainants who are siblings and spouses of persons under police custody (PUPC).
The complainants revealed that before relatives can approach the Caloocan CPS detention facility, they are forced to pay at least P1,500 per visit. This amount is divided into various charges such as P200 for entry to the CPS, P550 for the waiting area, and P100 for the mandatory PUPC food.
The money was allegedly collected by a Jail Mayor, a civilian cohort, and handled in the presence of custodial personnel of the Caloocan CPS. The arrested policemen were brought to the IMEG Headquarters in Camp BGen Rafael T. Crame, Quezon City for proper documentation and charges to be filed against them. IMEG's investigation is still ongoing to determine the extent of illegal activities within the Caloocan CPS.
