Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the National Capital Region Police Office. (File Photo from NCRPO)
MANILA, Philippines — A police corporal, who was recently suspended, and his reported girlfriend were subject of a manhunt operation after being tagged in the Oct. 27 killing of Cameroon national Divine Komfun, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said Friday.
In a report, Police Major General Debold Sinas, chief of NCRPO, said the alleged gunman Police Corporal Leonel Abellera Layson, assigned at Sub-Station 6 of the Muntinlupa City Police Station, and the Abellera’s girlfriend Kathrina Fernandez, were reportedly behind the fatal shooting of Komfun at Pasay.
Sinas said police investigators were able to identify the suspects after reviewing a CCTV footage showing the conduction sticker of the suspects’ vehicles.
Prior to the shooting incident, Komfun met with Fernandez, who was on board a Mitsubishi Mirage at 11 p.m. They later went inside a rented room in Pasay at around 11 p.m.
Twenty minutes later, Komfun suddenly went outside the room and walked along Roxas Boulevard where he passed by the gunman, who was at a restaurant.
The gunman tailed the victim and shot Komfun at close range near a convenience store.
The assailant went to his vehicle and left the crime scene, while the victim died on the spot.
After further investigation, police managed to contact the owner of the gunman’s vehicle after getting the vehicle’s conduction number through a CCTV footage.
The owner informed them about renting the car to a certain Kathrina Fernandez.
“The registered owner has been traced and during interview, he revealed that one Kathrina Fernandez rented his car in the amount of P30,000 in October 4, 2020,” Sinas said.
“Kathrina Fernandez provided photocopies of her identification cards and gave her cellphone number, which is also the same number that appeared in victim’s call log,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NCRPO also contacted the registered owner of the Mitsubishi Mirage, the other vehicle used by Fernandez to meet the victim. The owner disclosed that Fernandez rented the vehicle last Oct. 1, 2020.
“The owner of the said vehicle met Kathrina on October 1, 2020 in Alabang, Muntinlupa and she had her car rented in the amount of P30,000,” read Sinas’ report.
Further, the Mitsubishi Mirage owner revealed that a male individual with a firearm accompanied Fernandez during the payment for renting the vehicle.
The names of the vehicle owners were not divulged for their security.
The NCRPO was able to get a picture of the gunman at the CCTV footage in the restaurant. Subsequently, police showed the photo to the car owner, who positively identified that the gunman was the same person who was with Fernandez during the transaction.
Police said Fernandez lives in Barangay Kaunlaran, Quezon City. Layson and Fernandez are still at large, police added.
Also, Layson was suspended from the PNP since November 1 to 5, 2020 due to simple neglect of duty.
However, the motive in the murder of Komfun was still not established in the report.
Sinas has already ordered a metro-wide manhunt operation for the immediate arrest of the policeman and his girlfriend.
“We are asking assistance from the public to immediately report to the authorities any information on the whereabouts of PCpl Layson and his cohort. Your cooperation with the police will greatly help in giving justice to the victim,” he said.