ILOILO City – The police are looking at personal grudge or illegal drugs as the motives behind the killing of a resort caretaker in Barangay Poblacion, Concepcion, Iloilo.
Concepcion police station chief Major Jonah Galicha said they have yet to identify the suspects who shot dead the 27-year-old resident Ricjo Jansen Batica – a caretaker and security guard of Iyang Beach Resorts.
Batica was once detained in the Concepcion municipal police station for frustrated homicide and physical injury charges. He was also a newly-identified drug suspect, Galicha added.
“We are focusing into two possible angles as to why the victim was killed, it might be over an old grudge and in relation to illegal drugs. Damo ni siya kaso, may gin sumbag kag may gin buno amo na nakita namon nga record,” Galicha said.
According to police investigators, Batica was inside the resort when two unidentified motorcycle-riding men peppered him with bullets around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 5. He was able to run but one of the suspects pursued him and shot him on the neck.
Four empty shells of a .45-caliber pistol were recovered from the crime scene, police said.
Galicha said the investigation was difficult due to the refusal of Batica’s family to cooperate with the authorities.
“The victim’s family refused to give us information that would help in our investigation. They are uncooperative, but we continue to look for witnesses that could give us facial features of the suspects,” added Galicha.
Batica has received death threats before the incident, according to reports./PN
