Police link 3 men slain in Lumbia to Carmen jewelry store robbery

By NITZ ARANCON, JIGGER J. JERUSALEM, Correspondents, and FROILAN GALLARDO, Special Correspondent

POLICE yesterday linked the three men killed in Thursday night’s shootout at Grand Europa subdivision in Lumbia to the Sept. 24 robbery of a jewelry store in Carmen.

Maj. Evan Viñas, spokesman of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, alleged that the group led by Marvin Fajardo robbed Joharlem Enterprises on Villarin Street.

“Positibogyudsilangagitudlosamgabiktima, ngasilaangnagtulissamaongjewelry store,” said Viñas.

Last month, three robbers struck and ran off with pieces of jewelry worth nearly half a million pesos in Carmen.

Police said the robbers were armed and one even fired a warning shot as they barged into the jewelry store on Villarin Street. The establishment is owned by 42-year-old Jowell Panganiban of Silver Creek Subdivision in Upper Carmen.

Panganiban said the suspects carted away some P404 thousand worth of jewelry, the most expensive of which were a gold bracelet worth P120 thousand and a P100-thousand gold necklace.

He said the robbers also ran off with a P55-thousand Eagle fraternity ring, a P75-thousand Rado wristwatch, and two P54-thousand gold rings. The robbers also took the P3-thousand wristwatch of his worker Dam Mark de Garcia.

Viñas also linked the group to crimes such as robbery, extortion, gun-for-hire, kidnapping, and illegal drug trade in the National Capital Region, especially in Batangas and Laguna.

Fajardo, ordered arrested for a 2013 direct assault case by Judge Michelle Calumpong in Tanauan, was killed with Poli Andrew Redondo and Paul Andrew Valdez.

Police said the three men were killed after they traded shots with a police assault team. Viñas said they were declared dead on arrival at the JR Borja Memorial General Hospital.

Authorities found two caliber .45 pistols and a Magnum 357 revolver at the crime scene.

Authorities arrested two women after the shootout at Block 12, Lot 25, Portico II, Grand Europa: sisters Irish, 33, and RichelleManaig, 25, of Barangay Lawa, Calamba, Laguna.

Col. RaymundLiguden, director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in the region said Irish was the girlfriend of Fajardo, the alleged leader of the crime group.

Fajardo, who was from Barangay Suplang, Tanauan, Batangas, leased the Gran Europa house.

The CIDG filed a complaint for direct assault and illegal possession of firearms against the sisters before the City Prosecutor’s Office, said M/Sgt. Noel Oclarit of the CIDG in Misamis Oriental.

Liguden said intelligence officers surveilled the group since May when the Calabarzon police got wind of the information that they were hiding in Cagayan de Oro.

“The police were hot on their (Fajardo Gang) trail in Luzon for the series of criminal activities there. That may be the reason why they moved here. They had the money and they can afford to rent an expensive house,” he said.

Liguden said they expect to obtain more information about the group from the Manaig sisters who were subjected to tactical interrogation.

“Hopefully, we can obtain relevant information,” said Liguden, adding that investigators wanted to know if the group has other members.

Liguden said the Manaigs attempted to escape when the police and the suspects traded shots but they were caught by officers positioned within the perimeter.

The CIDG carried out the operation together with members of the National Police’s Special Action Force, officers from the Tanauan police, and Army soldiers.