TWO unidentified men shot dead a man who reportedly had history of criminal activities while he was asleep in Barangay Pangdan in Naga City, Cebu on Monday dawn, Aug. 26, 2019.

Police identified the man as Julius Ceasar Aliganga, and they theorized that the assailants were after Aliganga due to his alleged involvement in illegal drugs and other misdeeds.

Naga City Police Station Chief Jason Villamater said the killers barged inside Aliganga’s house while Aliganga was asleep around 3 a.m. The armed men shot him then fled on board a motorcycle.

Aliganga’s neighbors failed to identify the assailants. They only heard gunshots coming from the Aligangas’s house.

Aliganga’s name was not on the watchlist of drug personalities operating in Naga City, but his name had been included in the lists of other police units.

“He had criminal records in the cities of Cebu and Talisay when it comes to theft, robbery and drugs. So, it’s a possibility that he was murdered for cheating on his cohorts. When it comes to drugs, Naga is often in the crosshairs because we are part of the illegal drug route,” Villamater said.

Just recently a suspected drug courier going to Talisay City was also ambushed in the city.

Villamater denied that there were vigilantes working in the city, targeting the likes of Aliganga.

The police official further said his investigators are pursuing other angles, including Aliganga’s appearance in a cockfight arena in Naga City on Sunday, Aug. 25. The victim may have figured in a fight on that day.

The empty shells that were recovered from the crime scene will be turned over to the crime laboratory for examination.

Security cameras from establishments near the crime scene would be checked to help the investigation, said Villamater. / (from AYB of Superbalita Cebu/JKV)