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Suspect in slay of Bulacan teen nabbed in CamSur

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan

August 19, 2022, 10:37 am

<p><em>(Photo courtesy of CIDG Camarines Sur)</em></p>

(Photo courtesy of CIDG Camarines Sur)

MANILA – The suspect in the killing of a 15-year-old girl in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan has been arrested in Camarines Sur, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said on Friday.

In a statement, CIDG director Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee said the CIDG and the San Jose del Monte City Police identified the suspect as Gaspar Maneja, alias Jose Francisco Santos, who was arrested in Pamplona, Camarines Sur on Thursday noon.

Maneja has a warrant of arrest for rape and two counts of child abuse issued by the San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan Regional Trial Court.

The victim was found in a grassy area along a bypass road in Barangay Bonga Menor, Bustos, Bulacan on August 12, a few days after she went missing.

Investigation showed that the victim's body bore traces of cigarette burns while the forensic autopsy report likewise revealed that she was raped before she was killed.

The victim’s brother earlier told police that he last saw her sister on August 10, as she told him that she was going to meet a certain Jose Francisco Santos who will give her a bicycle.

Investigators said the victim was a frequent biker at the Neopolitan Subdivision Business Park in Quezon City.

The police were able to trace the suspect through closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and was identified through the vehicle he used, the plate number of which was traced with the help of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

Upon verification with the LTO, the vehicle was traced to a resident of Pamplona, Camarines Sur who said it was his brother who is now using the car.

The Bulacan Police filed cases of rape with homicide, as well as the use of a fictitious name and concealing his true name, against the suspect before the Provincial Prosecutor of Bulacan in Malolos City.

“(This) is a winning slate for the CIDG in its effective campaign against wanted criminals and for the PRO-3 (Police Regional Office – Central Luzon) for the immediate resolution of the rape-slay case in Bulacan. With this united effort from the police, justice was once again served. Hitting two birds with one stone,” Lee said. (PNA)

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