A TAXI driver was found dead inside his driven sports utility vehicle (SUV) at Barangay Libacao in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental Monday night, October 15.
Chief Inspector Antonio Benitez Jr., city police chief, identified the fatality as Junie Celis, 40, of Silay City.
Benitez said they first responded to a reported traffic accident in the said village at 9:15 p.m. after concerned citizens spotted an SUV on the grasses.
However, when they checked the vehicle, they found Celis on the driver’s seat with multiple stab wounds.
The perpetrators just made it look like an accident at first but a crime has been committed instead, Benitez said.
Investigation showed that an unidentified man who pretended to be a passenger flagged down the victim’s taxi in Bacolod City and told the driver to bring him to Barangay Payao in Binalbagan town.
However, Benitez said they have yet to establish if another suspect boarded the taxi in the said town until they reached the neighboring city of Himamaylan.
“We are eyeing two perpetrators but only one of them has been identified,” he said.
The driver drove from Bacolod City until Himamaylan City, where the assailants killed and left him, Benitez said.
The victim succumbed to two stab wounds on the neck and left ear.
Celis had also injuries on his hands due to his struggles with the perpetrators.
Benitez said the bladed weapon used in the crime was not recovered at the area.
The city police chief said they dismissed the angle of robbery because the victim’s personal belongings like cellular phone, wristwatch, backpack, uniform, and P3, 150 in cash are still intact.
Police have yet to establish the motive but they are eyeing personal as the possible angle.
He refused to divulge specific details about the identity of one of the perpetrators as the investigation is ongoing.