Police arrest 4 men linked to slay, gangape

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

POLICE on Tuesday arrested four men who allegedly shot and killed a 22-year old man, and then took turns in raping the victim’s common law wife for days.

Police identified the suspects as Mario Ramos, 26; Erwin Alfanta, 33; Nustrom Nero, 20; and Allan Leosora, 45.

SPO1 Neil Apollo de las Alas of the Cogon police said the suspects were identified as the killers of 22-year old Winston Barrera of Sitio Pasil in Barangay Kauswagan, this city.

Their arrest in Macasandig came after Barrera’s 17-year old partner escaped on Tuesday, days after her boyfriend was killed in Sitio Macapaya in Camaman-an.

Police said the survivor claimed that the suspects first gangaped her near the body of Barrera in Camaman-an at dawn Sunday.

Nimfa (not her real name) told the police she was subsequently brought to the suspects’ hideout in a secluded area in Macasandig where she was allegedly held against her will, and where she was repeatedly abused.

Police said Nimfa managed to escape on Tuesday afternoon, and sought the help of residents of a Macasandig community.

She was brought to the Cogon police station and a police operation was immediately launched resulting in the suspects’ arrest.

Ramos, the primary suspect, claimed that he was hired to kill Barrera for P80 thousand.

Barrera, he said, was a police informer, and the mastermind is a drug dealer in Barangay Macasandig.

Ramos said Barrera was killed because he supposedly provided authorities information about the local drug trade.

Barrera’s father Fernando said he would press charges and pursue the cases against the suspects.

“Dili gani igo nga mo-file pa ko case against sa ila apan ilang bayaran usab sa kinabuhi ilang gihimo sa akong anak,” he said.

The elder Barrera said his son and partner did not go home in Barangay Kauswagan on Saturday. He said he only found out about what had happened after Nimfa sought the help of the police.