Jealous hostage-taker surrenders
URDANETA CITY—The Urdaneta City Police Station (UCPS) filed several charges against the 42 year-old hostage taker in Barangay Tipuso here last November 23.
P/Supt. Jeff Fanged, chief of UCPS, said the suspect Ruben “Duran” Alcansiado now faces charges for serious illegal detention, violence against women and children (VAWC), child abuse, illegal possession of explosives and bladed weapon and grave threat.
Alcansiado held as hostages his live-in partner Vilma Saraza, Mendrada Agustin, 64 year-old and Trommer Jym Agustin, three years old.
Fanged said Alcansiado brought Saraza, with a knife pointed to her neck and a hand grenade on hand in the residence of the Agustin’s looking for Jovit Agustin, son of Mendrada.
Saraza and Alcansiado who was separated from his wife, were living together only two months ago.
Alcansiado suspected that Jovit and Saraza were having an affair which made him jealous that resulted in the hostage taking”, said Fanged.
Fanged said Alcansiado locked the whole house of the Agustin’s when he failed to see Jovit.
“He (Alcansiado) held the victims as hostages for an hour and ten minutes before he surrendered to us”, Fanged said.
He added, none of the victims was hurt except for the slight incision in the neck of Saraza due to the knife pointed in this part of her body.
Fanged said UCPS applied the rules and parameters in handling a hostage crisis to avoid any untoward reaction from the hostage taker that might harm the victims.
Fanged was a member of the Anti-Kidnapping Group of the Philippine National Police.
The child involved was processed by the UCPS Women and Children’s Desk with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to guard against lifetime trauma while the other victims underwent stress debriefing.
Fanged said Alcansiado was found to have a murder case, allegedly killed her mother-in-law seven years ago but was released due to amicable settlement.
Alcansiado is now detained once again for different charges. (Hilda Austria)
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