2 fugitives elude capture but leave arms cache behind in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY—Two wanted men in Maguindanao province have eluded capture but left behind an arms cache in the town of Pandag on Wednesday (April 28).

Maj. Esmael Madin, chief of the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Maguindanao, said police were sent to serve arrest warrants on Joross Guimad and Joemar Sagandingan in their hideout at the village of Kabuling.

The two were facing a murder case.

When police got to their hideout, the fugitives had already fled.

“The house was already abandoned when we arrived,” Madin said.

But neighbors told police the two were last seen in the house hours before policemen arrived.

Madin said the law enforcement team conducted a search in the hideout and found two fragmentation grenades, a rifle grenade, a .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle, an M-79 grenade launcher, gun parts and six .38 caliber revolvers and ammunition.

Madin vowed to continue hunting down the fugitives and asked for the help of relatives in locating them and convincing the wanted men to surrender peacefully.

TSB