Online and text messages being spread that a van was spotted in La Castellana and La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, targeting minors for kidnapping are not true, the police said on Friday, August 16.
The La Carlota City Police Station denied the kidnapping scare circulating online and through text messages saying they were fake news.
Lt. Col. Lymel John Pasquin, La Carlota police chief, in a press statement denied reports that a van was roaming around the city conducting kidnapping activities.
The reports circulated after Pearl Joy Galve, a Grade 10 student from Brgy. Sum-ag, Bacolod, was found dead in a sugarcane field in La Carlota City on Wednesday, August 14.
There are no reported missing persons in La Carlota City, he said, pointing out that Galve’s death was an isolated case.
Pasquin said that they are continuously cooperating with the family of the victim and Bacolod Police Station 9 to attain justice for Galve.
The La Carlota Police assures of continuous patrols around the city to ensure peace and order, he added.
The La Castellana Police Station also denied a text message circulating that there is a suspicious van roaming around the town.
La Castellana Police Deputy Chief, Capt. Dennis Melgarejo, said that this kidnapping scare is not true.
The La Castellana Police is ensuring that peace and order prevails in the town, he said.
At the same the public is urged to remain vigilant and alert, Melgarejo said.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, in a separate statement, appealed to social media content creators, netizens and the general public to stop sharing unverified post as these may spread fear among the populace.*