An alleged drug pusher recently arrested in a buy-bust operation turned out to be one of the persons being tracked down by the Provincial Intelligence Branch of the Bohol Police Provincial Office for the ambush of a barangay kagawad and his daughter of Poblacion, Catigbian who runs at least three lumber and hardware stores in different towns.
The PIB team, under Police Senior Inspector Jojit Mananquil, arrested one Allan Sarol, a 39-year-old resident of barangay Sta. Catalina, Sagbayan during a buy-bust operation in the evening of March 19.
Sarol yielded four sachets of shabu during the operation, based on the police record.
Mananquil said the same person is one of those they had been tracking down as among those linked in the ambush of Barangay Kagawad Eufemio Muñez of Causwagan Norte, Catigbian and his 14-year-old daughter, Flora Mae at around 5:45 a.m. on February 28 in barangay Sta. Catalina, Sagbayan, the boundary barangay to Catigbian.
A complaint on drug peddling had been filed against Sarol last Friday, but Mananquil said they had a hard time preparing the complaint for murder against him because none among the witnesses wanted to testify while the alleged mastermind is still out and might get back on them.
Based on initial investigation Sarol has a vulcanizing shop in Sagbayan near the hardware store of Muñez.
Police earlier considered robbery as the motive in the ambush Muñez and his daughter.
Sagbayan chief of police, Senior Inspector Ricardo Tero, earlier said the 43-year-old barangay kagawad of Causwagan Norte in Catigbian died on the spot from gunshot wounds in the right ear, jaw and chest during the ambush on February 28.
His daughter also died on the spot from two gunshot wounds on the chest and the arm. It was believed, though that the bullet went through her back.
Muñez was driving their motorcycle with his daughter in the back ride on their way home to Poblacion, Catigbian.
They were ambushed in barangay Sta. Catalina, Sagbayan near the boundary to Catigbian—the area where military men were ambushed several years ago.
Tero said nobody lived in the area and that there is no signal there.
Based on earlier investigation, there must be one lookout overlooking from a hill, another lookout by the roadside with the gunman.
Tero estimated that there could be four to five persons conniving to undertake the ambush.
The assailants must have an idea that the victims slept in Sagbayan the night before the incident and went home early the following day, according to Tero.
They must have blocked the road with the branch of Mahogany tree found at the crime scene, causing the barangay kagawad to stop the motorcycle and they started shooting the victims.
It could also be that the assailants had thrown the branch of the tree when the victims passed, causing the latter to fall on the ground.
It could also be that the assailants started shooting at the victims while the motorcycle was still moving.
Muñez had lumber-hardware stores in Catigbian, Panglao and Sagbayan.
Tero said the Sagbayan branch was the last addition to the Muñez Construction Supply business.