Ex-cop in 4 Army intel agents’ slay nabbed

MANILA, Philippines — A dismissed police officer wanted for the murder of four military intelligence agents in Jolo, Sulu in 2020 has been arrested, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday.

Former M/Sgt. Abdelzhimar Padjiri was collared on Friday in Barangay San Raymundo, Jolo on charges of four counts of murder, according to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Padjiri was among nine former personnel of the Jolo police charged for killing the Army officers, who were following leads on suspected suicide bombers tagged in an attack on a local church that left 23 people dead in 2019.

The murder of the military agents sparked a rift between the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The PNP claimed the incident was a shootout. The AFP insisted it was murder.

During the police operation, Padjiri tried to escape by jumping over a fence and barged into a house located near his hideout.

The owner reported him for trespassing.

Police said Padjiri had been hiding in the area for over a year. He and his fellow officers were arrested in 2020, but were released in 2021 due to the absence of arrest warrants.

Aside from Padjiri, the other accused were former M/Sgt. Hannie Baddiri, S/Sgts. Iskandar Susulan and Eniskar Sappal, Cpl. Sulki Andaki and patrolman Moh Nur Pasani, all of the Jolo municipal police station as well as S/Sgt. Almudzrin Hadjaruddin and Patrolmen Alkajal Mandangan and Rajiv Putalan, all of the Jolo Drug Enforcement Unit.

A probe conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation showed one of the fatalities suffered eight gunshot wounds in the body while two others suffered three gunshot wounds each.

“The CIDG, through its mandate of arresting wanted persons, assures the public that it will continue to pursue the offenders of the law and serve justice,” the CIDG said after announcing the arrest.