POST CRIME PROBE. Police personnel of Shariff Saydona Mustapha town in Maguindanao del Sur conduct post crime investigation on the ambush-slay of two men in Barangay Datu Kilay on Thursday (Feb. 29, 2024). Police also found a sachet of shabu and a .45-caliber pistol inside the victims’ vehicle. (Photo courtesy of Maguindanao del Sur PPO)
SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao del Sur – Police authorities here are tracking down two men believed to be responsible for the ambush and killing of two others on the national highway in Shariff Saydona Mustapha town, Maguindanao del Sur, on Thursday afternoon.
In an interview on Friday, Col. Roel Sermese, Maguindanao del Sur police provincial director, said several persons of interest are now being sought for their possible involvement in the 4 p.m. ambush.
Killed were Rashied Lumanggal, 40, of Barangay Mirab, Upi town; and Nasrudin Alim of Kabuntalan town, both in Maguindanao del Norte.
“We are pursuing some leads, our investigation is continuing,” Capt. Waldy Bunag, Shariff Saydona Mustapha police chief, said Friday regarding the ambush.
Bunag said the victims were on board a multi-cab traveling from Datu Saudi Ampatuan to Shariff Saydona Mustapha when two men riding tandem on a motorbike overtook them in Barangay Datu Kilay and opened fire, killing Lumanggal, who was driving the cab, and Alim who was sitting in the front seat.
Police found a..45-caliber pistol inside the cab, a sachet of suspected “shabu”, and empty shells for an M-14 rifle at the crime scene.
Police investigators theorized that the incident could be a case of a bungled illegal drug trade that led to the shooting. (PNA)
