A police investigator in Bacong, Negros Oriental, was gunned down by an unidentified gunman past 8 p.m. Tuesday while he was on his way home in Barangay Motong, Dumaguete City .

Shot in close range while riding his motorcycle was SPO2 Avito Arabas Arabe, 50, married, of Barangay Camanjac, Dumaguete. He succumbed to a single gunshot wound at the back of his head.

Initial investigation disclosed that Arabe was seen sprawled on the street and was first reported to have figured in a vehicular accident.

Traffic investigator PO3 Jonathan Vailoces responded to the call for help, but policeman recovered the service firearm of SPO2 Arabe, a .45 caliber pistol with holster at the crime scene and residents near the area said they heard gunfire from a distance.

When they peeped through their window, they saw the victim sprawled on the right side of the road, along with his motorcycle. That was only they thought it was only a vehicular accident, police said.

Adalen Arabe, wife of the victim, said the killing was well-planned.

She said she overheard from the victim's colleagues that somebody called her husband through the cellphone and told him to go back to the police station, because of reports that they will be attacked.

She said it could be a set-up, and when he was on his way home, he was probably monitored by the suspects.

Meanwhile, PNP director provincial S/Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe called the killing a tragic incident that could be a work of a hiredgun.

Testimonies show that Arabe had no personal conflicts, and this prompted the police to suspect it was job-related. Arabe was scheduled to extract an affidavit yesterday, for dismissed murder case set for refiling in court.

Investigators are looking into Arabe's damaged cellphone to determine who made the call.

Bacong acting police chief, Inspector Edilberto Gravador, confirmed that, Arabe was handling sensitive cases, including election-related incidents, foremost of them is the murder case while he was officer-in-charge of the police station during the last local elections.*JG

back to top