Organized gang behind Gulanes’s ambush
Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Senior Supt. Melvin Mongcal said an “organized gang” perpetrated the ambush of the Gulanes couple Thursday last week.
He did not identify the suspected organized gang as the case-tracker team tasked to hasten the resolution of the crime is still verifying all the information they gathered. The suspects were wearing bonnets when they assaulted the victims.
A case-tracker team was purposely organized to handle the Gulanes case. Its creation was in compliance with the order of Mayor Jerry Treñas to the police, to immediately solve the case.
Mongcal said all the information they received are considered raw until it is verified. They have to validate all the information before the filing of the case against the suspects who shot dead George and wounded his wife Ronelyn in Barangay Sambag, Jaro.
George died of fatal gunshot wounds on his body. He tried to escape when the suspects shot and chased their pick-up vehicle. However, the pick-up bumped a taxi cab which happens to pass by the subdivision. The suspects also pointed their guns to the taxi driver.
The couple along with their 14-year old daughter were ambushed by two motorcycle riding gunmen as they were about to go out of San Paolo subdivision. The couple’s daughter was spared from the bullets. Ronelyn is now recuperating in one of the city’s hospital.
Mongcal added the family members of the victims are actively providing the police valuable information to the case-tracker team which could lead to the solving of the case. They all want an immediate solution of the case.
Ronelyn is the daughter of the late Mayor Victor Gardoce of Tapaz. Her brother is also an official in the province of Capiz. In media interviews, the Gardoces are leaving the matter to the police.
The police could not ascertain whether the lending business of the couple had something to do with the ambush. Though, there were reports that the couple sued one of their lenders with estafa case before the Iloilo regional trial court. Allegedly the lender owed the couple much money but failed to pay.
Police recovered the cash money of the victims amounting to more than P50,000 intact. Several empty shells of .45 caliber pistol were also found in the crime scene.
It is theorized that before the incident the suspects have gathered enough visual information and monitored the couples’ daily routine.