SNATCHED & EXECUTED: Man previously jailed for drugs abducted and killed

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – An alleged drug peddler was found dead in a vacant lot at Barangay Mansilingan here early Thursday, several hours later after he was allegedly abducted by four unidentified armed men on board a pickup truck at Barangay 3 here last Wednesday.

Authorities identified the victim as Richard Tutop, 33, of Barangay 3 here.

Police Major Sherlock Gabana, head of Police Station 2, said Tutop was sitting on his motorcycle by the roadside around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when armed persons wearing masks arrived and forced him into the pickup truck.

“He was not the type of person who would usually sit outside of his house. He was probably supposed to meet someone for a transaction,” Gabana said, adding that they have been monitoring him since he was released from jail last year.

Gabana said the victim was on their drugs watch list after learning he allegedly returned to the illegal drug trade.

He added that a woman saw how the armed men dragged Tutop into the vehicle. His family called for assistance and reported him missing to the police.

After almost nine hours of searching, Tutop’s body was found in a vacant lot around 2 a.m. Thursday. His hands were hogtied with adhesive tape and belt and his mouth was also covered with tape.

Police Major Carmelo Nermal, head of Police Station 7, said Tutop suffered more than two gunshot wounds on his head. A security guard of a nearby residential village allegedly saw a sedan and heard five gunshots in the area.

Recovered from the scene were fired cartridges of .45-caliber ammunition.

Nermal said they are looking into illegal drugs as a possible motive for the killing as the victim was arrested in 2017 for narcotics charges and was released from jail in October 2019 after he availed of the plea bargaining.

He said the Tutop might have been involved in a failed illegal drug transaction. Police have no lead yet on the identities of the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, Police Colonel Henry Biñas, director of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said Tutop’s slay might be the second case of such nature after the murder of 66-year-old Ontao Sacar, 66, a native of Marawi City, and temporarily residing at Barangay Mandalagan here last December 3, 2019.

Although the manner of the killings seems similar, Biñas said they cannot yet conclude anything since they have no evidence to prove such theory.

“We cannot really tell if both incidents had the same group of perpetrators,” he added.

He said it will be a challenge on the part of the investigators to look for the real perpetrators.