BACOLOD City — Personnel of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) arrested a suspected killer in the fatal attack on a Turkish national in Ilog, Negros Occidental, solving the case within hours of the incident.
The victim, a 57-year-old Turkish national residing in Bacolod City, was found dead at around 2 a.m. on March 22 in a sugarcane plantation in Sitio Mampuso, Barangay Canlamay, Ilog.
Initial investigation by the local police revealed that the victim had been drinking with a female companion prior to the attack. While passing through a sugarcane field, he was assaulted and sustained fatal head injuries.
A joint follow-up operation involving the Ilog Municipal Police Station, the 605th Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB-6), the 6th Special Action Force Special Action Battalion (SAF-SAB), and elements of the Philippine Army (471st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division) led to the arrest of two suspects — a 34-year-old man and his 35-year-old live-in partner, both residents of Barangay Canlamay.
Authorities identified the male suspect as the principal attacker.
During questioning, the suspect allegedly admitted responsibility for the killing, saying the crime was motivated by robbery and had been planned in advance with his partner. The female suspect allegedly lured the victim prior to the attack.
Police also recovered key pieces of evidence at the crime scene, including the victim’s prosthetic leg, clothing, and personal belongings, as well as items believed to have been used by the suspects such as a car key, gloves, a sweatshirt marked “ZAFRA,” and a black T-shirt used as a facial covering.
Brigadier General Arnold Thomas C. Ibay, director of the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), commended the swift and coordinated response of operating units.
The suspects are currently in police custody as investigators prepare the filing of appropriate charges./PN
