ONE of Central Luzon’s most wanted criminals accused of killing a man with a baseball bat in 2008 was arrested by agents of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office following a series of manhunt operations in the province which also resulted in the arrest of 55 others, local police director, Colonel Lawrence B. Cajipe announced yesterday.
In a report to Police Regional Office 3 director, Brigadier General Valeriano T. de Leon, Cajipe identified the most wanted suspect as Erick Concepcion, the subject of a warrant of arrest for murder issued by Judge Jaime Samonte of the Malolos City Regional Trial Court Branch 21 on August 24, 2009.
No bail was recommended for the liberty of the suspect who was arrested in Bgy. Talacsan, San Rafael at around 4:40 p.m. last Friday by members of the San Rafael Municipal Police Station, the Bulacan PPO’s Provincial Intelligence Unit and the Regional Intelligence Division.
Cajipe said the suspect is wanted for a ‘baseball bat murder’ in Bgy. Talacsan on September 28, 2008. Investigation showed the suspect was one of the men who smashed the head of Juancho de Leon with a baseball bat killing the victim on the spot.
The official said his men on Saturday and Sunday also arrested 55 lawbreakers in the province, 13 of them involved in illegal drug trafficking activities following a series of anti-criminality operations.
Cajipe added that the 13 drug offenders were arrested in buy-busts in Malolos and San Jose del Monte cities and in the municipalities of Marilao, Norzagaray, Balagtas, Plaridel, Guiguinto and Bulakan.
Four of the suspects were arrested after they conspired to sell around 110 grams of shabu worth P748,000 to an undercover officer inside a house in Purok 4, Bgy. Paradise in San Jose del Monte City 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
The sting conducted by joint operatives of the San Jose del Monte City Police Station and the Northern Police District Drug Enforcement Unit under Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro E. Ylagan also resulted in the confiscation of the buy-bust money, several drug paraphernalia including a digital weighing scale, a caliber 9mm pistol with a magazine containing seven live ammunition, a cal. .38 revolver with four bullets and a cal. .380 pistol with four live ammunition.
The other arrested drug suspects yielded 35 pieces of heat-sealed plastic sachets containing the so-called ‘poor man’s cocaine’ and three sachets with dried marijuana leaves and the marked money paid to them by poseurs.
Cajipe said the other suspects arrested include persons wanted for theft, attempted homicide, grave threat and direct assault against an agent of a person in authority.
The suspects were arrested in separate operations in San Jose del Monte City and in Baliwag, Calumpit, San Ildefonso and Pandi municipalities.
Cajipe said another 18 men were also arrested in Pandi, Guiguinto, Balgtas and Marilao municipalities while engaged in illegal cockfighting or ‘tupada’ and card games.
Recovered from the suspects’ possession were four live fighting cocks, three gaffs or ‘tari,’ several playing cards and cash bets.
Another suspect, a 66-year old woman wanted for falsification of public documents was also arrested by the Marilao police. The rest of the accused were accosted for violation of quarantine protocols and provincial ordinances.
