CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 3 Dec) – Police arrested three alleged gunmen of prominent medical practitioner Dr. Raul Winston Andutan in a dawn raid in their hideout in Balingoan town, Misamis Oriental Friday.
But the alleged ring leader – identified as ex-Army soldier Rene Tortosa who also owns a carenderia in Balingoan – was able to escape the police dragnet, according to Major Evan Viñas, spokesperson of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office.
Viñas identified the suspects as Joel Nacua, the alleged triggerman, 37 years old, a resident of Barangay Lilingayon, Valencia City; Marjun Cabog, the alleged driver of the getaway motorcycle, a resident of Maramag, Bukidnon; and Jomar Adlao, the alleged lookout, also a resident of Maramag.
The arrests came less than 24 hours after riding-in-tandem gunmen ambushed Andutan, medical director of the Jesuit-owned Maria Reyna-Xavier University Hospital, Thursday morning. He was driving his silver Toyota Fortuner when shot at the junction of 12th and 29th Streets in Barangay Nazareth.
Andutan, a urologist and graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, died with multiple gunshot wounds in his head and body.
Viñas said the quick arrest of the suspected killers came after they managed to extract CCTV images of the fleeing gunmen.
He said the police raiders found the suspects swimming at a beach in Balingoan, some 86 kilometers northeast of Cagayan de Oro.
“The neighbors told us the suspects had a drinking spree on Thursday night,” Viñas said.
All of the three suspects admitted to reporters that they were responsible for the ambush-slay.
The alleged gunman, Nacua, said Tortosa contracted them to kill Andutan for P150,000. He said the money would have been paid today, Friday.
“I fired at the driver when the vehicle was two to three feet away from me. I continued shooting until the vehicle stopped. I must have fired four shots,” Nacua told reporters.
He said Tortosa and Adlao served as their lookouts who alerted him and Cabog as soon as the victim left his house in Barangay Macasandig.
Nacua said he and Cabog trailed the Toyota Fortuner until it reached the ambush site.
Viñas said they would be questioning the suspects to check the veracity of their stories.
Police has so far kept mum on the possible motive of the doctor’s killing pending investigations. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)
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