A top Central Visayas police official said he feared for his life after the killing of the main witness in a sensational case involving alleged torture and rape of local policemen in a secret cell in Cebu City.

“Human nga gipatay atong witness, nabalaka jud ko sa akong kinabuhi (After our witness was killed, I worry for my life),” Police Major Alejandro Batobalonos told Rappler on Saturday, April 24.

Batobalanos is the head of the Integrity Monitoring and Enhancement Group (IMEG) Central Visayas Field Unit which was investigating the claims of at least 3 women that they were raped and tortured by at least 11 cops inside a secret room at the Pasil Police Station 6 (Sawang Calero Police Station) in Cebu City.

Their main witness, 35-year-old Ritchie Nepomuceno, was shot dead on April 19.

Batobalanos said that he has not received any death threats, but he has heard rumblings from the local cops involved.

“Ang sturya man gud sa akoa gikan sa akong personnel about sa katong 13 police kay gipersonal daw nako (The story from my personnel was that the 13 police involved said I made this personal),” he said.

Batobalanos was filing the administrative and criminal complaints against the involved cops as of writing.

“However, naa pa koy dakong paglaum nga maresolve pani kay aduna pa tay second complainant nga niduol nato (However, I still have high hopes that this will be resolved because we still have a second complainant that came to us),” he said.

Police Staff Sergeant Celso Lucero Colita, the alleged rapist of the witness, died April 20 in an alleged suicide. Police were investigating how Colita managed to carry a firearm after he was disarmed when he was relieved from his post.

LGU withdraws aid to witness’ family

Meanwhile, the Cebu City government has withdrawn the financial aid to Nepomuceno’s family, citing possible drugs and “love” angles to her killing.

“Apan sa pakisusi sa pagpalawm sa imbestigasyon sa atong kapulisan, nakita nga adunay kalambigitan sa ginadiling drogas ang kamatayon nga nahisgotan nga namatay,” said City Attorney Rey Gealon during a streamed press conference on Friday, April 23.

(However, after thorough investigation by our police, it was found that there are links between illegal drugs and the death of the aforementioned deceased.)

Colonel Josefino Ligan, chief of the Cebu City Police Office, said Nepomuceno had an affair with a drug suspect in the past, and that they are considering a possible “love” angle to the crime. 

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella earlier ordered the city hall to do its own investigation, but Gealon said the mayor would first wait for the police to probe.

Labella even said earlier that they would provide legal assistance to the family and urged the grieving husband to seek their city legal office for help.

“The mayor will hand it to the police to lead the investigation and solve the said crime,” Gealon said in Cebuano. — Rappler.com