Dominguez gang’s hit man nabbed

Raymond Dominguez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Police have arrested a man alleged to be in the employ of the Dominguez car theft gang as an assassin early this week in Cavite as he was being beaten up by an angry mob.

After more than a year in hiding, Rolando Talban was chanced upon by policemen responding to an alarm over a shooting case.

Talban had lied to policemen about his real identity, according to Arsenio Evangelista, father of one of Talban’s alleged victims, car trader Venson Evangelista whose killing has been pinned on the Dominguez syndicate.

“He was really beaten up by the townspeople,” said Arsenio, of Talban.

Talban was arrested in Dasmariñas, Cavite, on Wednesday following an attempted hijacking that left a truck driver injured.

Supt. Ferdinand Villanueva, of the Quezon City Police District’s Anti-Carnapping Unit, said he sent his men on Saturday to Dasmariñas City to serve an arrest warrant against Talban for Venson’s death in January 2011.

Quoting a police report, Arsenio said the gunman was captured at 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday in front of Bagong Bayan Elementary School in Barangay Burol 1, Dasmariñas City.

Venson’s father said Talban was involved in an attempted hijacking and shooting which left a truck driver, Leodegaro Dimayuga Jr., wounded in the right thigh.

Dimayuga was rushed to the St. Paul Hospital in Dasmariñas City.