By Jennifer P. Rendon
An alleged leader of a gun-for-hire group was arrested June 1 in Makati City, Metro Manila.
Elfren Bagatnan, 31, of Ajuy, Iloilo was collared in his workplace at Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City.
He worked as a construction worker and assumed a different name.
Bagatnan, the topmost wanted person of Western Visayas, is the alleged leader of Bagatnan Gun-for-Hire Criminal Gang.
Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO)-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit/ Provincial Special Operations Group (PDEU-PSOG), together with Guadalupe Nuevo Sub-Station and other IPPO and Makati City Police Office operatives, nabbed Bagatnan for two murder cases.
The arrest warrant for the first case docketed as Criminal Case No. 2020-9403 was issued on June 8, 2020 while the second one for CC No. 2022-10351 was issued on May 12, 2022.
Judge Oscar Leo S. Billena of the Regional Trial Court Branch 66 in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo issued both arrest warrants.
No bail was recommended for both charges.
In his first murder charge, Bagatnan was charged along with Arjun Bigot and Eddie Ancuna.
But Bigot was arrested in April 2021.
They were accused for the murder of Marconi Amosin in September 2018 at Barangay Gen. Luna, Barotac Viejo.
It was not immediately known what triggered the suspects to kill Amosin.
Reports indicated, though, that Amosin was also a suspect in shooting to death another person several years back.
Police operatives are still checking on the latest arrest warrant issued against Bagatnan.
Police records showed, though, that in July 2021, another member of the Bagatnan Criminal Gang was also arrested for two counts of murder.
Richard Villanueva and his co-accused were charged for killing two men on June 21, 2020 at Barangay Tipacla, Ajuy.
Jovel Castor, 40, and Sonny Articuna, 50, were riding on a motorcycle around 6:10 a.m. when two men waylaid them.
As this developed, Bagatnan is still under custody at the Guadalupe Nuevo Sub-Station, Makati City Police Station.
He will be taken to Estancia Municipal Police Station for custody and documentation prior to his presentation to the court.
