Wild talks of 'sightings' persist as police probe on Antique 'kidnapping' hangs
Top police and provincial officials of the Province of Antique have spoken and are one in getting to the bottom of the James Ardaña reported kidnapping. A prominent businessman here, it has been 11 days since his disappearance with no less than Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez ordering a thorough probe. To date, cops seemingly face a blank wall on the investigation as numerous information from civilian informants present an altogether different scenario.
With one local named as suspect, The News Today (TNT) in a latest development learned that Sibalom police and back-up probers failed to make a direct link to the incident. Fortunately for the subject suspect, he reportedly passed the lie-detector test conducted.
No new solid leads were likewise reached even as full police assistance was extended to the Sibalom Police Office by other law enforcement agencies. To note, with the Sibalom town police in this kidnapping follow-up are top cops of the Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Presidential Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER).
Sources also told TNT that wild talks abound and rumors of “Ardaña sightings” persist throughout the province. Latest to be received and set to be validated by probers was one tip that the businessman was allegedly in hiding only about a kilometer away from the family residence.
And from the supposed P15 million ransom, the demand as of this weekend purportedly went down to P4 million.
Antique Governor Sally Perez in an interview with visiting Iloilo reporters has since said that the incident was one isolated case downplaying concerns of a Kidnapping-For-Ranson (KFR) presence here.