‘Right hand’of criminal gang leader arrested

CEBU, Philippines - A member of the Sumabong-Ancero criminal gang was arrested by the Provincial Intelligence Branch in Barangay Banban, Bogo City last Sunday.

Wendel Araneta, 36, was arrested after he was seized with two large packs of suspected shabu worth P118,000, a cal. 45 pistol, drug paraphernalia, and a cellular phone.

The police identified Araneta as the right hand of Joel Sumabong, the alleged leader of the criminal group who was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Malingin, Bogo City late January this year.

Senior Police Officer 1 Reynaldo Solante, PIB team leader, said they were in the area conducting a follow-up operation on the shooting to death of police asset Clemente Besavilla when they received a report about an armed person.

They proceeded to the area and saw Araneta with a cal. 45 pistol on a sling hanging on his neck, hence to his arrest.

As a standard operating procedure, the PIB operatives frisked the suspect and recovered from his possession the items.

Solante said the cellular phone seized from Araneta contained information that the latter knew who killed Besavilla.

Besavilla, according to Solante, was instrumental in the arrest of Nemuel Sumabong, another member of the criminal gang, who reportedly killed lawyer Richard “Dick” Sison in 2008. Nemuel was convicted and currently imprisoned.

Solante said Araneta is involved in the different robbery incidents and several shooting incidents in northern Cebu.

Araneta was part of the gang in robbing the Land Bank of the Philippines Bogo Branch in August 2005 and in the strafing incident, also in Bogo City, that injured SPO2 Constantino Cueva in 2012, Solante added.

With the arrest of Araneta, only Dindo Ancero, Christian Menor and a certain Torion, who are all members of the criminal gang, are reportedly still on the loose. — (FREEMAN)