BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – The Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) will reinvestigate five “cold cases” in Western Visayas.
CIDU regional director, Supt Peter Naboye, said there were two such cases in Iloilo City and two others in Bacolod City.
“We have to dig up all information and the status of these cold cases or unsolved heinous crimes in Western Visayas and hopefully we could solve them,” Naboye said.
The unsolved cases include the deaths of businessman Jimmy Punsalan and the former intelligence chief of the Iloilo City Police, Supt. Musa Amiyong; the East West Bank robbery; and two robbery incidents in Bacolod City where the victims were a German and an Indian national.
Naboye said he had already secured the folders of Punsalan and Amiyong cases and he is still waiting for the case folder of the East West Bank robbery.
“Once we have all the case folders, we can start our reinvestigation and review of the cases,” he said.
Restaurant owner Punsalan was shot dead on August 7, 2013 while Amiyong was killed on November 28, 2013.
Punsalan, 61, of Brgy. Cubay, Jaro district was gunned down inside his restaurant in Brgy. Bolilao, Mandurriao district.
He was watching television around 9 p.m. when two armed men barged inside the restaurant and suddenly peppered him with bullets.
He sustained gunshot wounds in the head, causing his immediate death, while the suspects fled on board a Toyota Fortuner without a plate number.
As of press time, no suspects have been identified or charged for the death of Punsalan.
The police believe that the motives might be related to business, illegal gambling or personal grudges, among others.
Amiyong, 58, was shot by motorcycle-riding killers on Quirino Lopez Bridge in Lapuz district. He died six days later in a hospital.
There were reports that Amiyong linked a former intelligence chief of the city police to the illegal drug trade.
On the other hand, Naboye said he has not yet seen the case folder of the East West Bank located on corner of Fuentes and Ledesma Streets here. Armed men robbed it last January 2011.
Bank teller Karen Valasote was injured./PN
