A 59-year-old business owner kidnapped in Cabanatuan City was safely rescued in less than 10 hours through swift and coordinated police operations, leading to the arrest of all three suspects and the foiling of a ₱5-million ransom demand, the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) reported.
Initial investigation showed that at around 7:52 a.m. on Monday, January 26, 2026, the victim was forcibly taken at gunpoint by three male suspects upon arriving at his warehouse in Barangay Kapitan Pepe, Cabanatuan City. The suspects also took the victim’s red pickup truck and fled southbound. Shortly after, they allegedly demanded ₱5 million for the victim’s release.
While fleeing toward Barangay Bakod Bayan in the same city, the suspects were involved in a hit-and-run incident that injured two civilians. Residents reportedly threw stones at the suspects’ vehicle following the incident. The injured civilians were immediately brought to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Upon receiving the report, tracker teams and operating units from the Cabanatuan City Police Station, Provincial Intelligence Unit, 1st Mobile Force Company, PMFC, RSOG 3, and San Miguel Municipal Police Station launched coordinated pursuit and intelligence-driven operations.
The victim was later safely rescued in Barangay Bakod Bayan, while his stolen vehicle was recovered in another area of the same barangay. Police said the suspects abandoned the vehicle after it sustained a flat tire and fled separately using other vehicles or public transportation.
Using tracking data from the victim’s stolen cellphone, authorities arrested a 49-year-old AWOL police personnel and resident of Barangay Mabini Extension, Cabanatuan City, in Barangay San Juan, San Miguel, Bulacan, at around 5:52 p.m. the same day. The suspect was identified as the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping and a cousin of the victim, and was intercepted while reportedly attempting to sell the stolen cellphone.
Follow-up operations led to the arrest of the two remaining suspects — a 34-year-old single, unemployed man from Barangay Barrera, Cabanatuan City, and a 27-year-old married, unemployed man from Palayan City, Nueva Ecija — in their respective barangays.
PRO3 Director PBGen Ponce Rogelio I. Peñones Jr. commended the police units involved under the overall supervision of PCOL Heryl Daguit, provincial director of NEPPO, citing their speed, coordination, and professionalism.
“This successful rescue and the foiling of a ransom demand highlight the effectiveness of intelligence-led operations and sustained pursuit. Our personnel acted decisively to ensure the victim’s safety while upholding the rule of law,” Peñones said.
