Police arrest mother, grandparents who abandoned baby in QC gas station

Police on Tuesday were able to track down and locate the mother of a newborn baby that was abandoned in a restroom at a gas station along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City last week.

According to a Balitanghali report by Bam Alegre, lawmen from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) were able to track the mother and her accomplices, who were revealed to be her parents, inside their residence in Antipolo City.

Investigators were able to confirm that the car seen in the CCTV footage of the incident last Friday was owned by the father of the woman who left the infant.

“Nag conduct tayo ng hot pursuit operations na nagresulta sa pagkakaaresto ng tatlong suspek—dalawang babae tyaka isang lalaki. So, naaresto po natin sila sa mismong kanilang bahay,” said QCPD 9 Station Commander Police Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand Casiano.

(We conducted hot pursuit operations that resulted in the arrest of three suspects—two females and one male. We arrested them at their residence.)

While the three suspects accompanied the authorities to the precinct, they refused to provide a statement.

Meanwhile, the woman is facing multiple charges for abandoning the infant.

“Ngayon po kumakaharap po sila sa kasong Article 276 sa Revised Penal Code in relation to Republic Act 7610, at the same time ay kakasuhan din sila ng frustrated infanticide… Nananawagan po [ako] sa ating mga kababayan, lalong lalo na po sa nagkaroon ng problema [at] lalo na sa ganitong sitwasyon po, [na] hindi po dapat ginagawa [ito] at di po dapat iniiwan ang isang bata kasi po maaari po kayong makasunhan,” Casiano said.

(The suspects currently face charges for violating Article 276 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Republic Act 7610, and they will also face charges for frustrated infanticide at the same time… [I’m] calling out to our countrymen, especially to those who are facing problems [and] especially to those in this situation, [that] we should not do [this] and we should not abandon a child because you might face criminal charges.)

The rescued baby is in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.—Jiselle Anne Casucian/RF, GMA Integrated News