‘SUSPECTS’ ID’D

MCPO says Jocelyn Encila’s lover, who may be a cop or an ex-cop, has disappeared after her arrest last March 3 Witnesses say gunman has a neck tattoo similiar to that of Jinnifer Mercader, a known gun-for-hire

Police officials in Mandaue City are not discounting the possibility that the lover of alleged “shabu queen” Jocelyn Encila was involved in the murder of her sister, Janelyn, in Barangay Labogon, Mandaue City.

But Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) Director Julian Entoma said they were looking at other angles, including the involvement of former Lugo, Borbon barangay captain Jinnifer “Iper” Mercader.

Police have been looking for Mercader, a suspected gun-for-hire, since his escape from the Medellin District Jail last Tuesday, March 5.

Mercader reportedly worked as a hitman for the Kuratong Baleleng gang.

Entoma told Superbalita Cebu that one of the witnesses told them Janelyn’s killer had a tattoo on his neck. Mercader reportedly sports a neck tattoo.

Witnesses also told police the gunman who fled the scene on board a motorcycle was tailed by a sports utility vehicle.

Entoma said he has yet to show witnesses a photo of Mercader to confirm if he was the one who shot Janelyn last Wednesday night, March 6.

He said they suspected the Kuratong Baleleng’s involvement in Janelyn’s murder after they received information that Mercader was spotted in Ozamiz City. However, he said they needed to know when he arrived to determine if he had a hand in Janelyn’s death.

“If Mercader was there (Ozamiz), there is a possibility that Janelyn’s murder served as his test mission. If that is the case, then his escape from Medellin was masterminded by the Ozamisbased group. We initially received information that a man with a tattoo on his neck was spotted in Labogon last Wednesday,” Entoma said in Cebuano.

However, the police official said they were also investigating Jocelyn’s current lover, who is a policeman. (Police have requested the media to withhold his name pending their investigation.)

The Police Regional Office 7 is reportedly looking for the policeman who has not shown up at work since Jocelyn’s arrest last Sunday, March 3.

However, Entoma said they have yet to determine if the policeman is the “ex-cop” who is said to be Jocelyn’s lover. He said they received reports that her current lover would serve as her driver.

“We received information that Encila’s lover frequently visited her house in Consolacion, especially at night. During those visits, Encila would turn off the CCTV cameras, which are reportedly connected to (Rustico) Ygot’s monitor at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. Whenever Ygot asked why the CCTV camera was off, Encila would blame it on a power outage,” Entoma said in Cebuano.

Ygot, who is Jocelyn’s former live-in partner, is serving time for illegal drug possession. He belongs to the Ygot Drug Syndicate that distributes illegal drugs in Metro Cebu and Cebu Province.

Entoma said there was also a possibility that Encila turned off the CCTV cameras to hide the policeman’s identity so he could continue protecting her illegal operations without being detected by authorities.