Police arrest ‘fake colonel’ in Sosua

SantoDomingo.- The National Police arrested a man dressed in police uniform whoposed as a colonel to con Dominicans and foreigners by threatening them for arange of infractions, saying they would be deported. The man was named as MarcelinoDíaz Bautista, who was in possession of an unlicensed revolver.

DíazBautista was arrested in the community of Loma Mirona, at a buildingproject directed by Belgian citizen Ulrich Herpe, 56.

Thepolice informed that the fake colonel had tried to extort RD$125,000 bythreatening to deport several Haitian laborers on the grounds that they didn’thave passports or work permits. He also threatened Van Herpe with deportation,saying there was an international arrest warrant against him.

Díazis believed to have extorted money from several builders for not having thecorresponding permits.

Thepolice are calling on other victims of extortion to report to the authoritiesand identify the man who posed as a police colonel.