ILOILO City – Investigators of this city’s Police Station 1 remained clueless on the identity of the riding-in-tandem assailants of a restaurateur killed along Fort San Pedro Drive, Barangay Veterans Village on Saturday.
“We are still gathering information,” said Police Captain Shella Mae Sangrines, police chief.
She added that the suspects’ faces could not be recognized by witnesses as they were wearing masks and raincoats.
Controversial businessman Hamza Kayani, 31, Barangay West Timawa, Molo district was shot and stabbed dead around 10 p.m.
“We are considering many motives to include family feud based on the victim’s Facebook post about death threats from his family; business rivalry; illegal drugs; and his previous cases like threats and murder. Madamo kita may ginsunod, pero kulang gid aton evidence,” Sangrines said.
A recent Facebook post of Kayani read: “Segiha lang da tita countdown sa kabuhi ko ah. Preparado ko ya katama sbng. Sino ka gid nga sapakon ni Chief PNP man? well unless gin budgetan mo gid ko eh.”
Sangrines said she could not talk yet with the witnesses, as well as Kayani’s mother because they are still under the state of shock.
Kayani earlier faced charges for illegal drug and gun possession, sexual abuse, murder, and grave threat.
In 2015, Kayani disappeared from this city after he was tagged in the fatal shooting of real estate agent Rogelio Amil at The Q motel on Burgos Street, La Paz district on Sept. 13 that year.
He silently returned to the city after settling the murder case.
On Aug. 23, 2018, Kayani was arrested in a raid conducted by Police Station 1 in his house in Barangay Tanza Esperanza.
The raid led to the recovery of an unlicensed .45 pistol, 16 sachets of suspected shabu, grenade, and bullets. Three girls aged 11 to 14 years old were also rescued.
“I believe the murder case was really planned. Maybe the suspects conducted a surveillance of the daily routine of the victim,” Sangrines added.
Kayani was killed minutes after coming out of his Mitsubishi Montero together with his alleged lover, a 13-year-old girl, and a 17-year-old boy.
The teenagers were unscathed./PN