A 12-member special investigation task force has been created to track down the primary person of interest and his alleged lookout in the rape and murder of a burger stand crew.
The SITG Bertulfo is composed of investigators and operatives from the Police Intelligence Branch, City of San Fernando and Mexico town police forces, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and Regional Mobile Force Company.
Pampanga Police Provincial Director Senior Superintendent Nicolas Salvador told Sun.Star Pampanga that SITG Bertulfo will be responsible for the proper identification, tracking down and immediate arrest of the killers of Rhema Bertulfo.
Bertulfo, 30, was believed to have been raped. She was found dead, with no undergarments some 50 meters away from her workplace in Barangay Lagundi in Mexico town on August 31.
The perpetrators, who were believed to have committed the crime in less than 30 minutes based on CCTV footage obtained by authorities, remain at large to date, and are now subjects of a comprehensive manhunt operation.
Based on the same footage obtained from the CCTV camera of the barangay, Bertulfo was killed by a man accompanied by one lookout at around 1:30 a.m. om August 31.
The crime was reported to barangay officials at 4:00 a.m. and to the police at 6:00 a.m.
Barangay Lagundi Kagawad Jojo Torres told mediamen that a concerned resident near the crime scene reported to a barangay bantay-bayan that he found the lifeless body of a woman, who was later identified as Bertulfo.
Big progress
Salvador said two witnesses have surfaced and given statements to the police regarding Bertulfo’s case, while several CCTV footage from various establishments showing the suspected perpetrators are already in possession of the police.
“We have made big progress in solving the case. We have two witnesses who may lead us to the identification of the suspects, and the CCTV footages which gave us a better angle on the facial composite of the suspects,” Salvador said.
The primary person of interest, whose cartographic sketch was released by police, is believed to be residing in Barangay Agpa in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, while the reported lookout is believed to be residing in Barangay San Jose, City of San Fernando.
Salvador said that he also ordered Pampanga police to coordinate with the Police Regional Office in Central Luzon to intensify all operations such as patrolling, police visibility, Oplan Sita and the conduct of round-the-clock checkpoint operations.
“The Pampanga police will do everything and exhaust all means to arrest the suspects behind this crime and to give justice to the death of the victim. We are encouraging everyone to help us solve this case. If you have any information or knowledge regarding this, don’t hesitate to come to us and we will ensure your safety,” Salvador said.
No shortcomings
Meanwhile, Salvador said he saw “no shortcomings” on the part of the local police of Mexico.
“Our local police follow a beat sector during their almost hourly roving and patrolling activities. I believe that during the commission of the crime, the policemen assigned in the crime scene have done their patrolling duties in the area and were already in other places in Mexico,” he said.
For his part, Mexico chief of police Superintendent Wilson Alicuman asserted during the session of the Sangguniang Bayan in the City of San Fernando on Monday that they immediately responded to the crime scene after barangay officials reported the incident to the station at around 6:00 a.m.
Unexpected, unlikely
Salvador also said that the Bertulfo’s case was “a little unexpected and unlikely to happen” in the area which is situated near the barangay hall of Lagundi and a 24-hour gasoline station along the busy Jose Abad Santos Avenue.
“The primary suspect looks determined in doing the crime because he even had a lookout with him to monitor if there will be police or anybody who would sabotage his plans. He, however, failed to see the CCTV cameras that would capture their presence in the crime scene,” he said.
Salvador also discounted the possibility that the owner of the burger stand has a liability in the crime for not hiring a security personnel to man the area, especially since Bertulfo was the only crew on duty overnight.
“So far, there is no ordinance from the local government that requires a security personnel for every business, be it open 24 hours or not. The burger stand looks like a small business and may have little capability to hire additional personnel,” he explained.