LALA, LANAO DEL NORTE —– Authorities on Wednesday, November 3, found the decomposing body of a public school teacher in a coconut plantation along barangay Pantar, Kolambogan town, four days after he was reported missing.
Police Major Salman Saad, information officer of Lanao del Norte provincial police identified the victim as Arthur Torres Jr., 37, a public school teacher of Oroquieta City in Misamis Occidental and a resident of Purok 2, Barangay Baybay, Kolambogan town in Lanao del Norte.
Saad said Torres sustained multiple stab wounds mostly concentrated on his chest.
According to his parents, they saw Torres leaving the house on the morning of October 31 onboard his motorbike and they were not aware where he was going and never returned since then.
Saad in a text message claimed the police cannot ascertain when Torres actually died but they have established that the motive of the killing was robbery, as his personal belongings were missing while authorities who were pursuing the case discovered that Torres’ motorbike was sold for P10,000 in the town of Munai, this province.
Munai is about 50 kilometers away from Kolambogan town.
On November 5, at around 1 o’clock in the morning, police arrested a certain Mark Miano who is a resident of Purok 3, Barangay Austin Heights, Kolambogan. He was arrested while in hiding in Barangay Poon in the municipality of Tangkal.
Munai is about 50 kilometers away from Kolambogan town while Tangcal is about 28 kilometers away from Kolambogan.
Kolambogan Officer-in-charge Police Major Major Rey Odchique said members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) based in Tangkal and the barangay captain of Poon helped them in pursuing the suspects.
Odchique said Munai revealed his cohorts also went hiding after the crime. -with report from Michael Navarro/Newsline.ph
