POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato — An alleged crime group leader was shot dead in a brief firefight with government forces along the highway here, police officials said Wednesday.
Chief Insp. Aldrin Gonzales, Police Regional Office-12 spokesperson, said the firefight happened at around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday along the highway in Barangay Pagalungan, this municipality.
Gonzales said killed in a brief firefight was Benzaid Nilong, 49, leader of the Nilong private armed group operating in this town and in nearby municipalities.
Senior Supt. Franklin Alvero, South Cotabato police director, said that prior to the firefight, they received intelligence report that a private armed group would stage a robbery along the Koronadal-General Santos City Highway, particularly in Barnagay Pagalungn, this town.
Alvero said the local police deployed a team of policemen to conduct mobile patrol along the highway as a preventive measure.
The team led by Chief Insp. Alex Joe Orcajada, local police chief, spotted and flagged down two motorcycles without licensed and headlights with five men aboard while conducting mobile patrol.
However, the suspects opened fire and tried to escape as the policemen approached them.
“The suspects fired at our personnel using M-16 rifle and caliber .45 pistol as they sped off, triggering a brief firefight,” Gonzales said.
Nilong died instantly while his companions managed to flee on foot leaving their two motorbikes.
Gonzalez said recovered from the crime scene was a caliber .45 pistol, a rifle grenade, empty shells for caliber .45 and .9-mm pistols and mobile phones.
The M-16 of Nilong was missing as it was believed to have been taken by his fleeing companions.
Gonzales said Nilong, an alleged hired killer, was involved in the killing of Senior Insp. Hernan Gabat, deputy chief of the local police, in October last year.
He said Nilong was also involved in highway robbery incidents. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
