Police nab soldier for attempting to rape an 8-year-old

Authorities foiled a rape attempt of an eight-year-old girl and arrested a soldier inside an inn at Capistrano St., this city, over the weekend.

Police said PFC Gary Hadjula, 27, assigned to 36th Infantry Battalion Alpha Company allegedly took an eight-year-old girl at Zone 6, Camp Evangelista in Barangay Patag and brought the girl to Beatrice Inn located at Capistrano St. The inn’s supervisor noticed Hadjula together with a minor and immediately called the officers of the Divisoria police.

According to Senior Insp. Glenn Abalde, Divisoria police chief, together with other police officers they responded to the caller’s information on Saturday afternoon and upon reaching the inn, the supervisor confirmed that a man together with a minor checked-in inside room 250 a few minutes earlier.

When police knocked on the door, the suspect did not open so they asked for the key to open the door and allegedly found Hadjula standing naked while trying to prevent the minor to come out from the comfort room.

“Kamulo og kaligo ang bata unya iyang gipugngan ang pultahan sa banyo aron dili mogawas ang bata,” added Abalde.

Abalde also claimed that Hadjula was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he was arrested.

Hadjula, police said, claimed that he saw the minor in one of the streets in Divisoria and was very dirty so he decided to bring her to the inn to have a bath.

Abalde said according to their interview with the minor they came from Camp Evangelista. She was playing at that time when the suspect asked her to go with him and gave her P100.

“Naghilak ang bata paggawas niya sa banyo kay nahadlok na,” he said.

The suspect is now detained at the Maharlika Headquarters in Barangay Carmen pending the filing of charges in violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Act while the minor has been turned over to her mother who is a banana cue vendor. (al ricalde)