Alleged abduction of 2 high school girls a “kidnap us” case – Davao police

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 February) – An alleged kidnapping of two high school students was proven false after a police investigation revealed that the minors made up the story to avoid getting in trouble with their parents for staying out late.

Capt. Hazel Tuazon, Davao City Police Office (DCPO) spokesperson, said in a Messenger group chat with the Davao media on Thursday that the two high school students, who were initially reported kidnapped by their mothers at the Los Amigos Police Station at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, were found in Mintal, this city.

Tuazon said that the minors admitted during the police interrogation that it was a “kidnap us” case and that they “self-inflicted” their wounds using stones to make it believable that they were “abducted.”

“Gisamad-samaran ilang kaugalingon para ingnon nga gikidnap para dili makasab an sa mga ginikanan (They self-inflicted the wounds in their bodies to make it believable that they were kidnapped, so that they will not be scolded by their parents),” she said.

In a spot report from the Los Amigos Police Station, the mothers of the two students, who are studying at the Los Amigos National High School, reported that their daughters were allegedly kidnapped by individuals using a white van, as what their daughters’ classmates said in a group chat.

Their classmates also later informed the parents that the girls were last seen in Mintal.

CCTV footage would reveal that the minors boarded a red Calinan-Roxas route jeepney at around 12:10 p.m. that day, skipping their classes.

At around 9:25 p.m., the minors reportedly sent text messages to their parents, claiming that they had been “abducted, tied up, and separated from another young captive.”

At around 11:30 p.m., their class adviser managed to convince one of the girls to disclose their location.

Authorities found the two minors at a 7-Eleven store in Mintal and brought them to the police station.

During the questioning, the students admitted that they made up the kidnapping story and that they went to Vista Mall Mintal around 1 p.m. without informing their parents as they might not be permitted.

The spot report also stated that the students ran out of fare and were scared to walk home, so they invented the kidnapping story.

Safely returned to their parents, their class adviser reportedly suggested that both students will temporarily be doing modular classes to monitor their well-being and prevent potential bullying from their schoolmates. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)