Two men accused of posing as police officers during a confrontation near the University of Cebu were later nabbed in separate police operations in Cebu City, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said.
The arrests came a day after the Aug. 11 incident along Colon Street, where one of the men allegedly identified himself as a police officer and accused a 23-year-old man of possessing illegal drugs.
CCPO Acting City Director PCOL Ricky C. Sumalde said the two men were not members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The incident occurred at around 6 a.m. on Aug. 11 as the complainant traveled from the Colon area toward Osmeña Boulevard near the University of Cebu.
The complainant reported that several individuals followed and confronted him. One of the men allegedly accused him of possessing illegal drugs and claimed to be a police officer.
Police personnel manning an elevated outpost along Colon Street noticed the commotion and intervened. They brought the complainant and the individuals involved to Police Station 5 for verification, documentation and proper disposition.
Police confirmed that the man who claimed to be an officer was not a PNP member. Authorities recorded the identities of those involved and the circumstances of the incident in the police blotter.
Police Station 5 advised the complainant to file a formal complaint, but he opted only to have the incident documented. Police released the men after he declined to pursue a case and authorities found no basis to continue detaining them.
The two men were later nabbed in separate operations conducted by Police Station 3 on Aug. 12.
In Barangay Tejero, police arrested one of the suspects for alleged possession of about 0.10 gram of suspected shabu, with an estimated Standard Drug Price Value of P680.
Later that day, police responded to a report of an armed man along Osmeña Boulevard in Barangay Sto. Niño and arrested the second suspect. Officers allegedly recovered a .22-caliber snub-nose revolver from him.
Follow-up investigation established that the two men arrested in the separate operations were the same individuals involved in the Colon incident, police said.
The suspects remain in Police Station 3 custody for separate cases involving alleged illegal possession of drugs and a firearm.
Police said the suspects told investigators they had been waiting for a person they had contacted for an illegal drug transaction and allegedly mistook the complainant for their supposed contact.
The CCPO said the Colon incident remains officially documented and may still be acted upon if the complainant later decides to pursue legal action, subject to sufficient evidence and applicable procedures.
Photo courtesy of Rey Anthony Castillanes Abing
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