DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 February) – A reported kidnapping of two high school students was found to be a fabricated story after a police investigation revealed the minors concocted the tale to avoid reprimand from their parents for staying out late. Capt. Hazel Tuazon, spokesperson for the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), stated that the students, initially reported kidnapped by their mothers at the Los Amigos Police Station on Wednesday evening, were discovered in Mintal. During questioning, the minors admitted to staging the incident by self-inflicting wounds with stones to support their false claim of abduction. The mothers had reported the alleged kidnapping based on information from their daughters’ classmates, who claimed the girls were last seen in Mintal. CCTV footage showed the minors boarding a red Calinan-Roxas jeepney around 12:10 p.m., skipping classes. Later, they sent messages to their parents claiming abduction but eventually disclosed their location after being convinced by their class adviser. Found at a Mintal 7-Eleven store, the students admitted to inventing the story to cover their trip to Vista Mall Mintal, which they knew their parents would disapprove of, and later ran out of fare and feared walking home. Safely reunited with their parents, the students will temporarily shift to modular classes to ensure their well-being and prevent potential bullying. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
