Slain cop’s phone probed for clues

MANILA, Philippines — Stumped by a dearth of leads or witnesses in the brazen killing of a policeman as he was riding his motorcycle on Edsa a week ago, the San Juan City police is pinning its hopes on the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, which is currently examining the victim’s cell phone.

The wife of the officer, Senior Master Sgt. Solomon Cugay, provided the PNP with a letter of consent on March 29 to subject his phone to a digital examination, according to Col. Ariel Fulo, city police chief.

Should the victim’s phone yield no significant information, it was unclear how officials would proceed.

Despite being killed on the country’s busiest thoroughfare in broad daylight and less than a kilometer away from the PNP headquarters, there has so far been a stark lack of information for the police to act on.

Even the number of suspects present when Cugay was gunned down, now pegged at two, was unclear hours after his death on March 26.

The surveillance camera nearest to the scene, at Edsa corner Connecticut Street, was under maintenance, police said.

Fulo told the Inquirer that a witness to the shooting had already provided a statement to the police but it didn’t produce anything particularly valuable.

The faces of the suspects, who were on a motorcycle, were also obscured by helmets.

Cugay had been on the President’s narcolist although no evidence was found against him.