THE Panabo Police Station is still working to identify the persons of interest (POIs) linked to the recent explosion in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, which tragically resulted in the immediate death of the wife of a Barangay New Opon official in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, on Wednesday evening, April 24, 2024.
This includes gathering the full profile and whereabouts of the motorcycle-riding perpetrators.
The victim, identified as Loreta Saga Abapo, 56 years old, sustained serious injuries when an alleged grenade was thrown at the vehicle she was onboard in Purok Pantukan 1, Barangay J.P. Laurel, Panabo City.
She was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Carmen District Hospital.
Meanwhile, Loreta's son, Yushehito Abapo, who was driving the truck, was also injured and is currently receiving medical treatment.
Despite ongoing investigation efforts, the police have not yet determined if the explosive device was improvised (IED), as they await laboratory test results from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) and continue to extract CCTV footage from the blast site.
"They are still waiting for the results of the lab test from SOCO to see if it was a grenade that was thrown. During the post-blast investigation, a lever was recovered from the suspected grenade. The extraction of CCTVs around the area is also ongoing,” Police Regional Office-Davao Region (PRO-Davao) spokesperson, Police Major Catherine Dela Rey said in an interview with a local print media in Davao, earlier this week.
Currently, the Davao City Police Office, in collaboration with the Bunawan Police Station and Task Force Davao, has bolstered checkpoint security at Mahayag Base, Barangay Mahayag, in the Bunawan District, Davao City.