Slain Philippine cops suspected to be in gambling gang
(01-08 12:50)
Three of 13 alleged gang members killed in a shoot-out with Philippine police were policemen, authorities said, as they began a probe into whether the violence was linked to illegal gambling.
The official police report following the incident in Atimonan town, 173 kilometers south of Manila, said security forces tried to block armed members of a criminal gang at a road block, setting off a gun fight, AFP reports. However, police said today that among those shot dead on Sunday was Senior Superintendent Alfredo Consemino, while two others killed were his aides. Consemino was allegedly a partner of Victorino ‘Siman’ Atienza, who operated a highly lucrative illegal numbers game called jueteng, press reports said. Atienza was also killed.
Police they will try to find out why police personnel were in the company of an alleged gambling operator.
Police will also investigate claims by relatives of the dead that they were summarily killed and not slain in a gun fight.
Press reports said Consemino may have been feuding with the police officer who led the team that manned the roadblock and who himself may be protecting another jueteng operator.
Jueteng is an illegal lottery known to generate hundreds of millions of pesos in proceeds, some of which finance campaigns by local politicians, officials have said.
|
|
|
|
