Armed group members arrested
SAN MANUEL-The police have scored in the campaign against use of guns and goons in the May 14 election.
Two suspected members of an armed group believed to be employed by a politician were arrested Friday morning by elements of the Regional Mobile Group in Barangay San Roque this town and seized from them one caliber .38 and one 9 mm pistol.
Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, regional police director, said soon after suspects Virgilio Desisto Sr and Ronnie Baculad were nabbed by virtue of search warrants from the court, an influential person allegedly called one of the arresting officers to release them.
Bataoil declined to reveal the identity of the caller when the suspects were presented to the media on Friday in a press conference held at the Dagupan City Police Station.
He said they did not grant the caller’s request because “it was the right thing to do”.
“If we let this pass, if we gave in to the request, I tell you, we might have another experience like San Carlos City,” Bataoil said.
He was referring to the April 28 killing of San Carlos City Mayor Julian Resuello.
He said the firearms they confiscated from the suspects, which do not have the required exemption papers, “must not fall in the hands of people like the two suspects who may be used for either partisan armed group or private armed group, or any violation of law”.
A gun ban is currently in place in relation to the election.
Bataoil said the guns will be examined by the Firearms and Explosives office and put through ballistic test for cross matching to find out if these had been used in other crimes.
He added they will also do background check of the suspects.—EVA
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