Police track owner of burnt suv

THE Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) that was burned in a mountain barangay of Danao City with two persons inside was not registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), police said.

Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), said based on their initial investigation, the vehicle was a Hyundai Sta. Fe.

“LTO said they do not have any records of the engine number of the SUV,” Gillamac said.

Gillamac said they will double-check the engine number to make sure that there was no error in their verification.

He added they are coordinating with the PNP Crime Laboratory in the handling of an autopsy and forensic examination on the charred bodies.

Yesterday, members of the PNP Crime laboratory also conducted macro etching on the SUV to determine if it is in the database of stolen vehicles.

Supt. Paul Labra, head of the intelligence division of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said they are considering the possibilities of the crime being related to drugs or a love triangle.

The police are checking Korean surplus shops in Cebu considering that the vehicle was Korean-made and unregistered.

Initial findings of the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) showed that the unidentified victims were killed elsewhere before they were burned with the vehicle in barangay Sabang.

“It is because there are traces of burned tires which were placed on top of the bodies, which indicates that they were killed somewhere else and were brought to Sabang,” Gillamac said.

Gillamac added the crime was very well-planned noting that the victims were brought to a secluded area which is 2.5 km away from the highway and far from residential houses.

Police offices in the region were alerted to check if there are missing persons in their area./Correspondent Christine Emily L. Pantaleon