Discovery of rifle grenades in sidewalk puzzles cops
City police were alerted anew Saturday over yet another grim discovery – two M14 rifle grenades left in a city sidewalk.
Similar to what killed Iloilo’s bomb expert, Senior Police Officer 3 (SPO3) Rafael Managuit, a barangay official led authorities to the grenades.
Members of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) Explosives and Ordnance Division (EOD) were immediately dispatched. Exact location of the day’s uncanny find was the sidewalk along Arsenal Street, Iloilo City proper.
The News Today (TNT) gathered that cops are convinced the grenades were purposely left in the site and not “by accident.” To date, police have no suspects nor witnesses other than the informant, Barangay Kagawad Ma. Luisa Froilan.
The EOD team was led by SPO1 Jun Meneses. Still not equipped with any “hi-tech” protective gears or equipment, the team managed to secure the grenades and proceeded with its detonation in an undisclosed location.
It was to be the most cautious operation for the EOD following last week’s deadly accidental blast right inside the detachment of the city’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
With the death then of SPO3 Managuit came the serious injuries sustained by SWAT personnel PO3 Abundio Diaz and PO2s Roque Gimeno and Albert Sardua.