Antique top cop seeks public help
SAN JOSE, ANTIQUE – Not your ‘regular’ kidnapping story and case.
Such summed up yesterday’s statement of Police Senior Superintendent Ren Darroca, director of the Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) over the James Ardaña reported kidnapping.
The incident to date developed two angles as pursued by authorities. At the lead of the investigation is the APPO with the Sibalom Police Office. Providing back-up or at least “in the know,” are the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), the Presidential Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) team and the Police Regional Office 6’s intelligence division.
The case stands as the first ever high-profile kidnapping for this quiet province made bigger by the circumstances surrounding the victim.
A successful and popular figure in the local business industry here, Ardaña was forced out of his Nissan Frontier at gunpoint late Holy Thursday evening. Police are looking for at least three men – two were reportedly Ilonggo/Kinaray-a speaking.
From the modus-operandi – a staged road accident and the quickness of the supposed abduction – it appeared to be the handiwork of professionals known as Kidnapping For Ranson (KFR) gangs. Yet put together the rest of what the police have gathered from vast sources, Senior Superintendent Darroca expressed doubts.
Two angles are being pursued and validated by the probers now, Darroca told The News Today (TNT). Kidnapping is the primary case considered though he also added that investigators are trying to eliminate the “Kidnap-Me” theory.
No specifics were disclosed by Darroca yet he confirmed that the existing “sensitive and big complaint” faced by the victim is being thoroughly checked as possible link to the businessman’s disappearance.
Senior Superintendent Darroca made a personal visit to the victim’s wife yesterday and disclosed the “perfect timing” of a text message received by the wife.
The wife was apparently told to just wait for the ransom demand and that her husband is alive.
“We are appealing to the public who have knowledge to what happened and where James Ardaña is. Please contact your local police,” he said. This, as he also bare that the family has a suspect in mind.
Darroca opted though to keep the particulars of that information out of the media.
Incidentally, just two days before the reported kidnapping, James personally reported to the Sibalom Police Office and signed a police blotter entry his accounts of a house break-in.
James told police that armed men broke into the family property, destroyed a portion of the cyclone-wire fence but were apparently stopped or scared off by the dogs. The lengthy report was signed by James himself. A policewoman said no police action was sought though with the report merely for “record purposes only.” It was not immediately clear why the family did not call police for help at the night of the reported intrusion.
TNT further learned that the victim has previously sought for a Permit to Carry firearm license. Senior Superintendent Darroca said though that as per “public” knowledge, James is usually armed with a short firearm.
At the time of the reported kidnapping, an undisclosed amount of money was in the victim’s possession as confirmed by his brother June. Taken by the suspects was his cellular phone and the cellular phone as well of his brother, the lone witness.