ILOILO City – An unlicensed .45 pistol, 16 sachets of shabu, grenade, and bullets were recovered from the house of a 28-year-old businessman in Barangay Tanza Esperanza, City Proper yesterday morning.
Restaurateur Hamza Kayani was arrested and taken to Police Station 1 after policemen raided his house around 6:30 a.m.
Three girls aged 11 to 14 years old were also rescued from the house, said Superintendent Jonathan Pablito of Police Station 1.
The raid and rescue of the minors were offshoots of the rescue operation involving a 15-year-old minor on Aug. 17 at Kayani’s house, said Pablito. The minor claimed she was raped and prevented from leaving the house.
The 15-year-old girl filed charges of grave threats, abduction and rape against Kayani a day after her rescue, said Pablito.
For yesterday’s raid, Kayani faces the charges of violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, said Pablito.
Police Station 1 secured a search warrant from Judge Victor Gelvezon of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 36 for the raid.
According to Pablito, the 15-year-old girl claimed she was hired as Kayani’s secretary on July 23 this year and for three weeks was barred from getting out of the house.
On Aug. 17 around 8 a.m., the girl managed to seek the police’s help after Kayani left the house, said Pablito.
“We rescued her while Kayani was in the hospital that time,” he said.
Based on the statements of the girl, “We decided to apply for a search warrant,” said Pablito.
Late night on Wednesday, according to the police officer, they monitored Kayani on Facebook Live; the suspect was in his room with the three minor.
After yesterday’s raid and rescue, the three minors were turned over to the Women and Children Protection Desk of the Iloilo City police.
Kayani disappeared from Iloilo City after he was tagged in the shooting of real estate agent Rogelio Amil, 32, at The Q motel on Burgos Street, La Paz on Sept. 13, 2015.
He silently returned to the city after settling the murder case, said Pablito.
Yesterday afternoon, the police brought Kayani to the West Visayas State University Medical Center after the suspect complained he was not feeling well. He was heavily guarded.
Pablito said Kayani was also in Police Station 1’s “Oplan Tokhang” watch list./PN
