By Francis Allan L. Angelo

POLICE have a free hand on what to do with the alleged kidnap for ransom (KFR) group that was spotted in Iloilo City.

C/Supt. Isagani Cuevas, Police Regional Office (PRO-6) director, said he ordered intelligence operatives to verify and confirm the presence of the KFR group in the metropolis.

Text messages circulated in the city since last week regarding a group of men roaming the city onboard a Mitsubishi Delica van. The suspicious-looking men were also said to be using a sedan and another van in their “surveillance” operations.

Cuevas said police officers who will confirm and spot these alleged kidnappers will deal with the suspects accordingly.

City Hall sources said an unidentified Ilonggo-Chinese businessman reportedly sought the help of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas after he spotted a group of persons taking pictures of his home and businesses.

The businessman is a distributor of junk food and has a warehouse in the city.

Treñas said the alleged presence of the KFR group is still raw and under verification by the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) intelligence section.

S/Supt. Melvin Mongcal, ICPO director, said the intelligence section and the six district police stations are still authenticating the KFR group’s presence in the city.

Mongcal said he also received text messages on the alleged kidnappers “and we had the information processed by our operatives.”

“We relayed the plate numbers of the vehicles mentioned in text messages to our police stations so they can watch out and validate the information. There is no confirmation yet that these alleged kidnappers are roaming the city,” Mongcal said.   

Mongcal said the information they have right now is “very sketchy” and has no specific target or victim.