POLICE operatives arrested in Malolos City, Bulacan, two inmates, including a dismissed policeman, who had left their cells without the consent of the courts.
Also arrested were a jail guard from the Bulacan Provincial Jail and the wife of one of the inmates, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said.
One of the inmates was identified only as Abdua, a former member of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office-Special Weapons and Tactics.
Abdua, a native of Sulu who was dismissed from the service for the 2019 murder of a female victim, is the “mayor” of the Sputnik prison gang at the Bulacan Provincial Jail.
The other inmate was identified as Mario, “chairman” of the Sputnik gang at the same jail, who is facing a case of homicide.
The other suspects were Tee-Jay, a jail guard at the Bulacan Provincial Jail who allegedly “connived and consented” to the “escape” of the inmates; and Abdu’s wife, identified only as Sarah, who allegedly “conspired and assisted” in the inmates’ escape.
The four were arrested last Sunday afternoon on board a pick-up truck in Malolos City while en route to the residence of Sarah in Barangay Dakila, about five kilometers from the Bulacan Provincial Jail.
Seized from them were a caliber 45 pistol, a Glock 17 9mm pistol, magazines, ammunition and the vehicle used in the escape.
The CIDG said it has received reports that the two were given special treatment at the Bulacan Provincial Jail and are allowed to “leave and escape” the facility without court orders.
“This is a remarkable intelligence-driven operation. With this arrest, we significantly removed from the streets two dangerous prisoners with firearms, a rogue jail guard, and an accomplice,” said CIDG director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III.
“All of them defied the law, committed crimes, and disrespected the court’s judicial authority by leaving and consenting to the escape of the duo in the detention facility, respectively, without a court order,” added Torre.
Torre said the CIDG is conducting an investigation to identify the people who have allowed the inmates to leave their detention cells without court orders.
“The CIDG is now conducting an in-depth investigation on the escape, the people behind their status as ‘preso caballeros’ – going in and out of the jail without court order; extent of the prisoners’ involvement in other criminal activities, the vehicles used in their escapes, as well as the possible utilization of these escapee prisoners in the series of shooting incidents and crimes within Bulacan and nearby provinces,” said Torre.
Torre said the CIDG will not stop until the others who are involved in the crime are arrested and held accountable.
“Rest assured that your CIDG is unyielding in arresting all criminals, including these escapees, and holding accountable all who violate the law and aid in their escape,” said Torre.
“We are relentless in getting rid of all criminals and loose firearms, and we are eyeing these three Gs of Philippine politics – guns, goons and golds- to ensure a safe and peaceful National and Local Election in May. We are warning you, the CIDG is dauntless, the CIDG means business,” said Torre.
