CAUAYAN CITY, Isabela — A police master sergeant was arrested in an entrapment operation after he allegedly tried to extort P300,000 from an arrested drug personality’s kin in exchange for “case-fixing” on Sunday in this city, police said.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Andree Michelle Camhol-Abella, Cagayan Valley police information officer, said Police Master Sergeant Sherwin Gamit, 38, assigned at the warrant section of the Cauayan City police, was arrested for robbery-extortion and for illegal possession of firearms in front of the Our Lady of Pilar Catholic Church in Rizal Avenue, District 1 village at 10:52 a.m.
The Philippine National Police-Regional Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Team (RIMET), Isabela police intelligence unit, and the Cauayan police caught Gamit while receiving the P300,000 marked money from the female relative of a drug suspect.
RIMET agents found out that Gamit allegedly tried to extort P300,000 in exchange for fixing the case of a suspect who was earlier arrested for alleged drug dealing.
After the woman handed the cash to Gamit, police officers who were “discreetly positioned overlooking the transaction” immediately rushed up and arrested him.
Seized from Gamit were P5,055 cash, assorted receipts, a PNP identification card, ATM cards, and a black leather ID case.
Seized inside Gamit’s car was the P300,000 marked money, a caliber .22 handgun without serial numbers, and a caliber 9mm police service firearm with three loaded magazines.
Gamit was placed under police custody and will be facing appropriate charges.
(Villamor C. Visaya Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer News Correspondent)
