By Jennifer P. Rendon
Neneng, 20, claimed that a man on a tricycle abducted her while walking on the roadside in Estancia, Iloilo around 6:30 p.m. on Aug 28, 2022.
Her abductor gagged her mouth and poked a pointed object on the right side of her body.
Neneng, a resident of Carles, Iloilo but worked as a household help in Estancia town, said she eventually lost consciousness.
But as fate would have it, she later escaped from her abductor. She eventually rode another tricycle and went to her aunt’s house.
Neneng’s recollection of what happened to her was shared by her aunt via her Facebook account.
The aunt warned the public against a group of individuals whose modus operandi is to kidnap children, especially young ladies, from the streets and force them inside a van.
As expected, the post went viral and was shared at least 700 times.
At 2 p.m. on Aug 29, Neneng personally reported to the Estancia Municipal Police Station her “traumatic experience.”
Lieutenant Joebert Amado, Estancia police chief, said they took down every detail of Neneng’s story.
“But of course, we don’t immediately believe her story because there were lots of inconsistencies,” he said.
Police investigators were immediately dispatched to the areas where she was allegedly abducted and to the place where she escaped.
Amado said the areas were well-lit and frequented by people.
Footages from closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras also don’t support her claims.
She also did not suffer any wounds following her escape.
“That’s why we asked her to come to the police station on August 30,” Amado said.
It didn’t take long for the police to make Neneng admit that her abduction was nothing but a product of her imagination.
She claimed that she was forced to make an alibi because she failed to return to work.
Neneng told her employer that she would just look for a mobile phone loading station but did not come back.
She was only working for four days when the alleged abduction happened.
Following her admission, her aunt took down the post but “the damage has been done,” the police said.
Following what happened, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office has appealed to the public to be prudent in posting on social media any information about criminality.
Colonel Adrian Acollador, Iloilo police chief, said non-validated information about criminality could create panic and fear.
“Please, do not haste to post information on your social media account. Coordinate rather to the police station and verify the information,” he said.
To date, IPPO has recorded two incidents posted on Facebook accounts of netizens about the alleged abduction. The other one was made by a netizen in Oton, Iloilo last week.
“Think and investigate before you click. There’s nothing wrong with spreading a warning through your social media account to keep other people safe. But first, make sure your information is right,” Acollador said.
