By A.L. RICALDE and LITO RULONA
Correspondents
AUTHORITIES yesterday faced a blank wall in the investigation into what appeared to be a shootout involving an alleged member of the Customs police and a customs broker in Sitio Baksuhan, Barangay Macasandig, this city, on Thursday night.
Police said 45-year old Roy Ancajas of Cabantan St. Mabolo, Cebu City, was killed. He had with him an identification card that showed him to be with the Customs police.
Lt. Roman Moscoso of the Customs police here disowned Ancajas, saying that Ancajas was not in any way connected with the Bureau of Customs and that the ID was fake.
Another shooting victim, 29-year old Joed Pasasadaba, of Mountain View Homes in Barangay Balulang, is struggling for life in a hospital at presstime. Pasasadaba is allegedly a customs broker.
The Macasandig police arrested and detained Pasasadaba’s alleged 37-year old driver, Siegfred Rojas, of Caballero Compound, Barangay Balulang. Rojas was arrested at his house in Balulang.
“He (Ancajas) was using a fake identification card of the Customs police,” Lt. Moscoso said. “We want to clarify the initial reports that came out — Ancajas is not an employee of Bureau of Customs.”
He said Ancajas’s ID was even signed by the wrong person.
Moscoso said the Customs police would conduct its own investigation into the Macasandig shootings given that the customs bureau and the customs police have been dragged into the case.
Police found Ancajas body sprawled on an open drain in front of the Macasandig National High School in Barangay Macasandig.
Ancajas was rushed to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center where he was declared dead on arrival.
Crime scene investigator SPO4 Paul Ragmac said Ancajas had three gunshots to chest, abdomen and left leg.
Members of the local Scene of the Crime Operatives found combed the crime scene and found at least eight spent shells from a caliber .45 pistol, a black wristwatch, a blue sling bag, a green bag containing documents, and a pink Nissan Sentra sedan bearing license plates WFG-678 that was believed to be driven by Ancajas.
Authorities said they virtually clueless, and they have very little leads to work on.
“Ongoing pa gyud ang among investigation karong panahona,” said SPO2 Joel Tare of the Macasandig police.
Senior Insp. Abdul Alim Sumandar, Macasandig police chief, said Rojas admitted to be Pasasadaba’s driver.
Witnesses, he said, claimed to have seen Rojas throwing pistols believed to have been used in the shootings.
Sumandar said the driver would be subjected to a paraffin test at the National Police’s Crime Laboratory.
“Initially, he denied that his boss was involved in the shootings,” Sumandar said.
He said Rojas also told investigators he had no idea who Pasasadaba was talking to.
“What he told us is that the two (Ancajas and Pasasadaba) scuffled inside the car. And then he claimed he heard gunfire,” Sumandar said.
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