Cebu City police nab alleged ‘self-confessed hitman,’ cohort in buy-bust operation

A ‘self-confessed’ hitman and his alleged cohort were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Cebu City last October 8, 2022. | CCPO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City police will conduct an investigation on the alleged self-confessed hitman, who was arrested with his cohort for illegal drugs and illegal possession of firearms in Barangay Sambag 2 last Saturday, October 8, 2022.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for administration of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said they are trying to find out if this hitman has links to previous shootings in Cebu City.

The suspect is identified as Ruel Dayap, 34, a resident of San Fernando, Cebu, who was nabbed together with his alleged cohort, Rosela Ansag, 42, a resident of Barangay Sambag 2, in Cebu City.

Police seized 10 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P68,000 from the two.

Aside from tagging Dayap as a gun-for-hire personality, Parilla said that the suspect is allegedly used as a drug courier by drug personalities.

“…This is a self-confessed nga hitman, also used by drug personalities, [they made him a] courier,” Parilla said.

As part of their investigation, Parilla said that they will be submitting the .357 revolver seized from Dayap to the PNP Crime Laboratory to check if this matches the pieces of evidence that they recovered from the previous shootings in Cebu City.

Parilla further said that they will also check if the suspect has a pending warrant of arrest.

“This is one this we are looking at because based on the background of this information gathered by Chief of Police of Station 2, he is involved in shooting incidents because he is involved in a gun for hire [business]” Parilla said.

The successful arrest of Dayap and his cohort happened after Abellana police transacted with him.

Clarifying previous reports that Dayap erroneously called a policeman instead of his supposed customer, Parilla said that this did not happen.

“Dili ingon nga nasayop siya og dial nga ang number sa police [iya nakontak] kay ang buot pasabot ana, sa ato pa ang police duna na siya’y contact sa iyahang phonebook.  But it was clarified by the Chief of Police [that] the police is the one who transacted aning tawhana, who is certain Roel Dayap alyas Noel,” Parilla said.

Dayap is among the 38 drug personalities arrested in a one-day Simultaneous Anti-Criminality and Law Enforcement Operation of CCPO last Saturday, October 8. These suspects were arrested from 33 anti-illegal drug operations in the city.

Police confiscated 387 grams of suspected shabu from these operations worth P2.6 million.

Aside from the anti-illegal drug operation, Cebu City police also conducted 46 anti-illegal gambling operations, which also led to the arrest of 80 individuals.

For their campaign against loose firearms, police nabbed nine individuals with nine unlicensed firearms.

/bmjo

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