The Quezon City Police District has arrested four suspects in the murder of Barangay Bagong Silangan chairperson Crisell “Beng” Beltran and her driver, Melchor Salita last Jan. 30.
As this developed, the Interior and Local Government Underscretary Martin Dino said he would recommend to the Comelec to declare the entire Quezon City as “hotspot’ or prone to election-related violence.
Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel Jr. and National Capital Region Police Office director Guillermo Eleazar yesterday presented to the media the suspects—Teofilo Formanes, 48, a market inspector at the Commonwealth Market; brothers Ruel Juab, 38, a delivery boy; Orlando Juab, 32, a vendor and Joppy Juab, 28, also a vendor.
Beltran was running for Congress in the 2019 midterm election.
According to Esquivel, Formanes was the first to be arrested in a follow-up operation on Feb. 1 at the back of Commonwealth Market by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit after an eyewitness positively identified Formanes in a gallery of suspects that closely resembled a facial composite illustration.
Formanes was nabbed when he was about to board his motor bike with a handgun visibly tucked in his waist.
He reportedly “violently” resisted the arrest and tried to pull his firearm but was subsequently subdued.
Esquivel said Formanes yielded a caliber .9MM pistol with serial No. 488990 loaded with nine live ammunition a black Yamaha Mio Sporty motorcycle without plate number, two baseball caps, a mobile phone and three hand-held radios.
He said Formanes identified his cohorts that led the operatives to conduct a follow-up operation at No. 38 Steve St. in Barangay Commonwealth which resulted in the arrest of the Juab brothers.
Seized from them were Shooters caliber 9MM pistol loaded with 12 live ammunition, a home-made caliber .38 revolver with five live ammunition, a hand grenade, a Magnum caliber .22 revolver and four cell phones.
Three other suspects—Miguel Juab, 26; Mangmang Rasia, 26, and Boy Fernandez, 52—were also arrested for obstruction of justice for preventing the police from arresting the Juab brothers.
Beltran was onboard her Ford Evereset van (NDO-612) driven by Salita on Jan. 30 at 11;33 a.m. when the six persons onboard three motor bikes attacked and shot at close range the victims along J.P. Rizal Street in Barangay Bagong Silangan.
Four of the passengers, including a minor, were injured during the incident.
Esquivel said Formanes pointed to one Cosette Capistrano, 50, who was at the administration office of the Commonwealth Market, kept the firearm of another suspect in the crime identified as Warren Juab, a cousin of Capistrano.
Capistrano led the police at Unit 312 LRB Building 7, Republic Avenue in Barangay Holy Spirit, but Warren Juab managed to flee with another suspect identified as Dutch Boy Bello, 34.
The police filed charges of murder, frustrated murder in relation to RA 7610, attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms in relation to the Omnibus Election Code was filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.