Armed masked men barge into house in Bohol, 2 identified as cops

A cellphone video taken by a resident of Dauis town in Bohol province shows the moment when four men forcibly entered their house and allegedly pointed their guns at her brother last Saturday afternoon, July 20. | Screenshot from Ahmz Suri FB video

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two of the four armed masked men who allegedly barged into a house in Dauis town, Bohol province were identified as police officers.

The intruders allegedly also pointed their gun at one of the residents last Saturday, July 20,

Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) said that initial investigation showed that two of the men in the video that has been making rounds online were policemen assigned to a neighboring community.

The ordeal was captured in a cellphone video taken by one of the residents of the house, Am-Am, not her real name, who then shared it online.

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The incident reportedly happened at around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

In a phone interview with local media, Am-am narrated that she was shopping for groceries at the market with her father on Saturday afternoon.

When she received a call that cops were at their house, the two then rushed home but found no police cars in the front of the house, causing them to get suspicious.

Upon entering, Am-am said that she heard her brother yelling from the room and saw masked men by the door of their house.

When she and her father asked whether they were were cops, none of them gave an answer.

The masked men were allegedly inside the house for almost an hour before they walked away without revealing their identities to the homeowners.

According to Am-Am, her brother, 41,  was outside of the house wiping his motorcycle prior to the men’s arrival.

As he was about to head inside, he reportedly saw the masked men rushing in with their firearms pointed at him.

Scared, her brother rushed inside a room and locked the door. The men, however, kicked the door open and allegedly forced the brother to kneel on the ground.

Am-am said that the masked men frisked her brother while the gun was still pointed at him. She claimed that the men took P3,000 in cash that was in her brother’s possession.

The family believes that the men’s target was the 41-year-old family member and were also waiting for someone else.

However, it was not made clear to them as to why the armed men forced their way inside their home in the first place.

Am-am also insisted that her brother was not involved in any criminal activities, which is why the family was confused about the incident.

After the encounter, the family reported the incident to their local police. Am-am said that they will be filing a case against the masked men involved.

While two of the men were confirmed to be cops, Pelare said that Bohol police will be looking into whether there are others involved.

Moreover, the identified police officers have been administratively relieved from their duties to pave way for an impartial investigation by the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO).

Pelare, for his part, relayed that the officers were conducting a legitimate hot-pursuit operation against a drug suspect that they allegedly saw run inside the house of Am-am’s family.

He stated that the hot-pursuit ensued after the policemen allegedly witnessed a suspect conduct a drug transaction.

The subject of the pursuit, however, has already fled the area by the time they arrived.

Pelare said that they will be filing drug charges against the subject of the operation and will be investigating what truly happened on Saturday.

He added that they will be collecting testimonies from the civilians, as well as the police officers to give them the opportunity to present their sides.

Moreover, police will be conducting an internal investigation to determine whether the officers identified as one of the masked men conducted operational lapses that would be used as grounds to have them sanctioned criminally and administratively.

“This is a work in progress in the part of the PNP. Rest assured, this will be investigated thoroughly and fairly. Again, we emphasize the instruction of the regional director, Police Brigadier General Anthony Aberin, our police operations would always be done in accord with the police operational procedure. And we will never hesitate to sanction any deviations,” stated Pelare.