Carnapper falls after hot pursuit ops along Lugait highway

By JOEY NACALABAN
Correspondent .

A suspected carnapper, who earlier victimized a nurse, was arrested after he was shot and wounded by pursuing policemen at Lugait town.

Senior Insp. Antonia Labitad, Manticao police station chief, identified the suspect as Saidamin Maniwaka, 23, a native of Poblacion, Piagapo, Lanao del Sur.

He sustained gunshot wounds to his left leg and buttocks during a shootout with the police.

Before the shooting incident on Tuesday, Labitad said, Maniwaka was with two companions when they flagged down the motorcycle while at Barangay Pagahan, Initao town driven by Allan Daez, a nurse, and residing at the same place.

“Sa dihang duol na ang mga suspetsado ilang gipusil ang biktima mao tong natumba ang motor,” Labitad narrated.

Thinking that Daez was dead, the suspects then took his motorcycle and fled from the area.

Daez, who was just playing dead, sensing that the suspects were already gone, called his brother-in-law who in turn informed the Initao police.

Initao police radioed their counterparts at Manticao who set up a checkpoint in the area. But the suspects were still able to evade arrest. Maniwaka’s two companions evaded arrest by passing the intersection part of the road.

This time, Lugait police on-duty had already prepared themselves by sealing the highway.

Manawaka attempted to hurdle the obstacle, took a gun and started shooting the police officers.

Authorities fired back and shot Manawaka in the left leg and buttocks.

Police were able to recover from the suspect’s possession the stolen motorcycle, an XRM color black with plate number K16629 owned by Daez; one .45 pistol, four live bullets with a stainless magazine, an apple-shaped fragmentation grenade, and an NBI clearance.

Maniwaka was brought to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center for treatment while a hot pursuit operation against the other suspects is ongoing.