Cops create task force to handle murder case

The Liloan Police Station has created a task force to handle the case of the killing of 19-year-old Lucky Pitogo, a player of the University of the Visayas Green Lancers, in San Vicente, Liloan last Friday evening.

Provincial police director Sr. Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, in his regular press conference yesterday, refused however to give details about the task force and even the updates of the investigation into the killing of the UV basketball player.

Pitogo was shot in the forehead by one of three men who reportedly tried to rob him of his cell phone while he and his 16-year-old cousin were biking around the neighborhood a few meters away from their houses.

Valmoria ordered Liloan Police Station officer-in-charge SPO4 Florencio Apuado to dig deeper in their investigation into the incident. As of yesterday, however, the police have not come up with identities of the gunmen yet.

No time frame was given to Apuado for the resolution of the case, said Valmoria. Apuado, for his part, told reporters that they are also looking into other angles on the motive of the shooting and this includes the “love triangle” angle.

Investigator SPO1 Dennis Malinao, in a telephone interview with The Freeman, said they have received information about the love triangle angle because some of the victim’s relatives were talking about it after the incident.

There have been no details about this however but Malinao said they are now looking for evidences that could support also even the other angles, such as the cell phone that the robbers reportedly failed to get from the victim. Malinao has been hoping to find links or leads from the cell phone’s inbox.

Valmoria urged Liloan policemen to utilize other men needed for the case, particularly the barangay tanods and members of the Barangay Intelligence Network to help in patrolling the barangays from the national highway. — Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE