3 armed men nabbed in Lapu-Lapu raid

THREE persons were arrested when police found them with firearms in a raid in Lapu-Lapu City at dawn yesterday.

Two .45 pistols and a .38 revolver were seized from the three men. Their identities were withheld by police pending the arrest of the subject of the raid who was renting the house.

Police said the three are suspected members of a big-time robbery group based in Mindanao with ties with the Kuratong Baleleng gang.

The subject of the raid was the leader of the three men, said Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office.

Four small sachets of suspected shabu, a disposable lighter, tin foils and tissue wicks were also recovered from the house.

The three men said they didn’t own the firearms and that the police planted the drugs and drug paraphernalia.

They also denied that they were members of a robbery group.

The Lapu-Lapu raid came after the arrest of Arman Tipontipon, whom police said was a member of a gun-for-hire.

Tipontipon was arrested on Wednesday in Medellin town, northern Cebu.

Comendador said it was Tipontipon who revealed the whereabouts of the arrested persons in Lapu-Lapu.

Comendador said investigators are looking into the possibility that the three men were involved in the July 22 killing of businessman Antonio Ouano and the murder of Ronaldo Canillo in barangay Babag II, Lapu-Lapu, last June. CORRESPONDENT GABRIEL C. BONJOC