Informant helps cops trace Koronadal pawnshop suspect in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY
(Sept. 22) – A highly placed informant led the police into the arrest in
Cotabato City Sunday dawn of one of the six gunmen who shot dead two security
guards of a pawnshop in Koronadal City , a ranking police official said.

Senior Supt.
Rolen Balquin, Cotabato City police director, attributed the arrest of Khadaffy
Guiamelon, at a safe house along Pansacala Street, Cotabato City to a
confidential informant who provided precise information.

The pawnshop
CCTV (closed-circuit TV) helped a lot and Guiamelon’s face was clearly,”
Balquin said, adding that the operation was jointly conducted by PNP Anti-Kidnapping
Group, Cotabato City PNP and Koronadal City PNP.

The CCTV
footage of the daylight robbery at Agencia Brillants went viral after the
police made it public and uploaded on Youtube.

Guiamelon was
later presented to three witnesses who positively identified him as the leader
of the robbery-holdup group that barged inside Agencia Brillantes, killed
security guard Joan Lazaga and carted away about P600,000 worth of jewelry.

Balquin also
attributed the successful operation to intensified intelligence gathering,
public cooperation and precise joint action.

Guiamelon, 47,
was among the remnants of Maguindanao-based Abogado Mubarak kidnap group that
gained notoriety in 1990s, Balquin said.

Balquin said
manhunt was still on-going against five other suspects.