The Philippine Star

4 suspects killed in shootouts with cops

- By DING CERVANTES

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Three alleged robbers and a drug suspect were killed in shootouts with law enforcers in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija on Friday night, police reported yesterday.

Benjie Montefalco, 18; Renjiel Galvez, 24, alias Jong, and Manuel Apelado, all residents of Barangay Cojuangco in Sta. Rosa town, drew their guns when they sensed they sold a stolen cell phone to police operatives.

Police set up the entrapment after two female students reported that robbers entered their rented apartment in Barangay Mabini and carted away their mobile phones, gadgets and other personal belongings .

“We offered to buy an iPhone 7 Plus worth more than P40,000 for P5,000. After hours of negotiatio­ns, they agreed to the offer of P15,000. During the payoff, they could have sensed that they were dealing with plaincloth­es intelligen­ce operatives,” Superinten­dent Ponciano Zafra, Cabanatuan police chief, said.

Zafra said three guns, three other cell phones, a laptop, a pair of gold earrings, a necklace, a wrist watch, P700 in cash and the identifica­tion cards of the victims were recovered from the suspects.

He said the suspects also yielded nine sachets of shabu and drug parapherna­lia.

In Barangay San Josef, tricycle driver Jay-jay Joaquin, 39, allegedly shot it out with anti-drug operatives who posed as buyers of shabu worth P1,000.

Police said four sachets of shabu, P2,000 in cash and a caliber .357 pistol were recovered from the fatality.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines