THE Southern Police District has stepped into the case of a 17-year-old girl who has gone missing in Muntinlupa City four days before Christmas.
SPD director Tomas Apolinario formed a special team tasked to investigate and locate the whereabouts of Ica Policarpio who was declared missing since 10:53 p.m. last Thursday.
“For information in connection to the missing female teenager, Special Investigation Team ICA was created effective this afternoon,” he said.
The team, to be headed by Muntinlupa City police chief Senior Supt. Dante Novicio and his chief of police for operation Chief Insp. Ritchie Salem, is composed of men from the Women and Children Protection Desk and Intelligence and Investigation Unit of Muntinlupa.
“The team will be supported by the District Investigation Unit, District Intel Unit, Southern Metro Manila-CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group), Parañaque Intel and Investigation Section,” said Apolinario.
He added that the task force will also be in close coordination with other units of the Philippine National Police and contacts in the local government units in Cavite.
On Saturday, Apolinario denied reports that the victim was already rescued during a police operation in Bulacan.
“This fake news was just forwarded to me. We appeal for people not to spread unconfirmed information. We are in constant communication with the parents of Ica Policarpio and the police are doing all efforts to bring Ica home safely the soonest, with God’s help. We have positive developments and we will keep you informed,” said Apolinario.
Apolinario was referring to the fake information which said that Ica “was rescued already by the PNP. One PNP died and four kidnappers dead, the big boss still alive and they used government vehicle so under investigation. She was brought all the way to Nueva Ecija but she was rescued somewhere in Bulacan. She’s with the Mom now in Camp Crame.
“There was [really] an encounter resulting in the death of one PNP and four KFR (kidnap-for-ransom) which happened early this morning in Bulacan but missing person Ica Policarpio is not involved in this incident,” Apolinario clarified.
“Please help us disseminate this to people spreading fake news. It is not helping the police and not doing any good,” he added.
According to Bea Policarpio, her sister Ica, a grade 12 in San Beda School in Alabang, has been missing since 10:53 pm of Dec. 21.
“She (Ica) was last seen in Coffee Project Lakefront Sucat. She is 17 years old, seen wearing semi-rounded glasses, blue sweater with two white stripes at the sleeves, black jeans, white sneakers and a light colored beanie. If anyone has any information about her whereabouts, Please let us know immediately via 09178946893. Please also pray for her safety and share this post. Thank you,” said Bea in her Facebook account.
Bea added “Please, find your way home. We hope you’re safe and okay wherever you are. We love you more than you can imagine and we just want you back with us. Please, we need you. Everyone is storming the heavens to find you. Come home and I promise we’ll have the best Christmas ever.”
In another Facebook account, it showed that Ica was seen on closed-circuit television camera inside the Coffee Project “as she went to the cashier to break a thousand peso bill. When the cashier couldn’t break the bill, she stepped out leaving her bag, phone and laptop. That’s it. Her mom Joan arrived to pick her up a few minutes later and found her things intact.”