A MAIN suspect in the killing of a radioman in Cabuyao City, Laguna in November 2005 was arrested by agents of the Philippine National Police during a manhunt operation in Sapad, Lanao del Norte on Friday, PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Maj. Gen. Nicolas D. Torre said yesterday.

Identified only as “Jalal,” the accused has been listed as a National Level Most Wanted Person, with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) offering a P150,000 reward for his capture, the official said.

According to Torre, members of the CIDG Lanao del Norte Provincial Field Unit, with the support of the local police and Philippine Army (PA) tracked down the suspect in his hiding place in Bgy. Poblacion in Sapad municipality.

He said that “Jalal” is wanted for the murder of Robert Ramos, a broadcaster for the Katapat community paper in Laguna, who was shot in the head in Cabuyao City in November 2005.

Torre said that the accused went into hiding after the incident and was monitored to have transferred to different places in Laguna and later in Lanao del Norte, where he hid for nearly two decades.

“However, he was pursued and caught by the relentless CIDG tracker team. With this arrest, we have helped the victim and the victim’s family attain the justice they deserve,” the official said as he commended all the officers involved in the arrest of the accused.

The arrest was made as PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil ordered the CIDG to further intensify their effort to account for the country’s most wanted persons and other lawbreakers to enhance the crime prevention and solution efficiency of the police force.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon