PANGASINAN’S most wanted man, who shot and killed a barangay chairman in Sual town sometime in March was finally arrested by the police last Monday after months of hiding.

Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil presented to mediamen on Wednesday, Sonny Abata, 27, laborer, at the Sta. Barbara police station two days after the suspect was arrested by the police inside a videoke bar in barangay Pangascasan, Sual.

Bataoil and Police Provincial Director Alan Purisima were in Sta. Barbara to inaugurate a newly built police community precinct in barangay Matic-matic donated by the mall giant CSI Group of Companies.

Abata was arrested by the police who were implementing a campaign against loose firearms inside Rosebelt Videoke bar in barangay Pangascasan while they were frisking people in the bar for deadly weapons.

As a lawman was frisking Abata, another policeman recognized him as the principal suspect in the gunslaying of Barangay Captain Camilo Ragojos of Baybay Sur, Sual eight months ago.

The suspect also has a standing warrant of arrest issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Georgina Hidalgo of Branch 39 for a separate case of frustrated homicide committed earlier in Pangascasan, Sual, for which he has recommended a P24,000 bailbond for provisional liberty.

Abata was positively identified by Ragojo’s wife, Elizabeth, as the one who shot and killed her husband at about 11:20 p.m. of March 3 this year, using a 12-gauge shotgun as evidenced by three empty shells found at the crime scene.
The shooting happened as Ragojos and his wife alighted from their vehicle in front of their house after coming from the wake of a dead villagemate.

Elizabeth named the companion of Abata as one Nanding Natividad and another person she was not able to identify.

Chief Inspector Menardo Soriano, chief of police of Sual, said the suspect used to be a family driver of the Ragojos family but was later dismissed by them.