Thursday, May 24, 2007 2 scrap buyers slain in Murcia ‘ambush’ By Nicolas C. Delfin
TWO metal scrap buyers were killed by five unidentified persons armed with “sulpak” (improvised 12-gauge shotgun) in an ambush at about 11 a.m. in Purok Tumpok, Barangay Canlandog in Murcia town, Wednesday.
The victims were identified as Alex Torres and Romulo Garcia, both of Hacienda Jovillanos, Barangay Cansilayan also in Murcia town.
Both Torres and Garcia were on board a top-down motorcycle loaded with scrap metals, along with their two nephews, Miguel Monton, 10, and Julius Pediongca, 18, when the incident happened, desk officer on duty, Fresco Lobaton said.
The victims came from Sitio Antawan in Barangay Canlandog and were in transit along Purok Tumpok when the five suspects wearing bonnets came out from madre de cacao trees and fired shots hitting Torres in his neck and Garcia in the back portion of the body, Lobaton narrated.
Worse, the suspects hacked them to death.
While leaving, Monton and Pediongca escaped and called for help, Lobaton added.
Hours after, hot pursuit operations were conducted by police operatives against the five suspects but to no avail until this posting.
Case investigator Nicanor Constantino, theorized that the incident could have been caused by jealousy.
This as many were reportedly engaging in scrap buying business in Barangay Canlandog and nothing was taken from the possession of the victims, Constantino said.
Flower vendor killed, too
Meanwhile, a flower vendor was discovered dead in a rose plantation at about 11 a.m. in Purok Kadugasan, Barangay Minoyan also in Murcia town last Tuesday.
The victim was identified as Alicia Giganto, 48, also of Barangay Minoyan.
Giganto was harvesting roses in the nearby plantation when an unidentified person hacked her several times in the different parts of her body, police report said.
Her head and hands were almost detached from her body due to the strong blows inflicted by the suspect, police report added.
As of this posting, probers are eyeing that the victim’s neighbor was responsible behind her brutal death.
They, however, refused to divulge the suspect’s name prior to the result of hot pursuit operations against him.
Probers added that the victim’s husband, Herman, told police investigators that the alleged suspect warned him to remind her wife not to spread rumors against him, prior to the incident.
