By AARON RECUENCO
Anti-kidnapping operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) killed a member of a kidnap-for-ransom group, who was tagged in the beheading of one of their victims last year, in a raid in Zambales on Monday morning.
Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, director of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group, said the operation was conducted at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday in Barangay Naugsol in Subic after they were tipped that Edison Villaran had been hiding in the area.
Estomo said his men immediately proceeded to the area to serve the arrest warrant for a case of murder against him, but Villaran allegedly tried to shoot it out with the AKG operatives.
The brief clash resulted in the death of Villaran. Seized from him was a .45-caliber pistol, police said.
Villaran was tagged in the killing and beheading of Jesus Armoliga in Cardona town of Rizal in September last year, according to AKG spokesman Maj. Ronaldo Lumactod.
Lumactod said the suspect, along with his brother Jovito, used to be members of a KFR group led by a former policeman. The said cop was killed along with his trusted man in a firefight in Rizal in July this year.
“The group was involved in a series of robbery and kidnapping in the entire area of Rizal,” said Lumactod.
