A STRING of anti-criminality operations in the country this week enabled agents of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to account for seven wanted persons, PNP-CIDG Director Brigadier General Ronald O. Lee said on Saturday.

“On orders of PNP chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr., we are further stepping up the conduct of our ‘Oplan: Pagtugis’ to account for all wanted persons in the country and at the same time seize illegal weapons and even drugs that could be used to commit more violence in the streets, particularly this Yuletide Season,” the PNP-CIDG director told the Journal Group.

On Thursday, Brig. Gen. Lee said that his men captured one of the suspects, a 37-year-old resident of Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, who is wanted for a non-bailable murder case. He said that the suspect had been described as the 3rd “most wanted” man in the province before his arrest on orders of Judge Ruben Sevillano Jr. of the San Jose Occidental Mindoro Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 45.

The 2nd suspect, the no. 1 “most wanted person” (MWP) in Laguna, was arrested in Calamba City on Thursday based on a warrant of arrest for rape in relation to Republic Act (RA) 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law issued by Judge Tita Villarin of the Urdaneta City RTC Br. 49.

The 3rd wanted man was captured for large-scale and syndicated illegal recruitment and was tracked down in his hiding place in Sitio Bangan Lupa in Barangay Tibagan in Tarlac City on the same day.

Judge Allene Peña of the Tarlac City RTC Br. 110 recommended no bail for the temporary liberty of the accused.

Also, last Tuesday, members of the CIDG Laguna Provincial Field Unit (PFU) arrested a 53-year-old barangay councilor for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Lee said that his men, joined by the local police and the PNP Special Action Force (SAF), stormed the house of Buenaflor, a councilor of Bgy. Sta. Ana in San Pablo City on the strength of a search warrant for violation of RA 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 issued by a local court.

The local official was placed under arrest after officers recovered a caliber 40 semi-automatic pistol, 42 rounds of live cal. 40 ammunition, four cal. .45 bullets, one 9mm ammunition, and three cal. 40 magazines inside the latter’s residence.

The 5th suspect, a resident of Bgy. Sta. Trinidad in Angeles City wanted for his involvement in robbery-holdup, “Akyat-Bahay,” and illegal drug trafficking activities in Pampanga was arrested last Monday.

Tagged as a member of the “Vallejo Criminal Group,” the suspect was also the 10th MWP in Central Luzon before his arrest on the strength of an order for a “service of sentence” for the sale and possession of prohibited drugs under RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 issued by Judge Erick Sadural of the Angeles City RTC Br. 116.

The 6th suspect was arrested in Gulod, Bgy. Sta. Rosa II in Marilao, Bulacan, on the strength of a non-bailable warrant of arrest for rape in relation to RA 7610 issued by Judge Fabio Albao Jr. of the Sogo, Southern Leyte RTC Br. 39 last July 26.

The 7th wanted man, a resident of Bgy. Kalunasan in Cebu City, who is also wanted for a non-bailable rape case, was also arrested last Monday on orders of Judge Nathaniel Andal of the Cebu City RTC Br. 24.