Former NPA commander in Zamboanga del Sur arrested

TACLOBAN CITY — A 39-year-old former CPP/NPA commander in Zamboanga del Sur, who is facing double murder charges in Ormoc City, was recently arrested in Bliss, Barangay Luyang, Carmen, Cebu.

Suspect Julito Wenceslao Lias, a resident of Barangay Poblacion in Merida, Leyte, was presented yesterday by Eastern Visayas police regional director Chief Supt. Dionisio Coloma Jr. to the local media.

Lias was apprehended by elements of the Police Regional Office-8 Intelligence and Investigation Division and some operatives of the Cebu police provincial office.

Police records revealed that Lias was the principal suspect in the killing of Oscar Pepito and William Capawing, both known businessmen in Ormoc, sometime in 2000.

Coloma said Lias was ranked number five in the list of most wanted persons in the whole Eastern Visayas and carries a reward of P90,000. He was tagged as the leader of the a group engaged in robbery hold-up and gun-for-hire operations.