BASISTA — Investigators are zeroing in on some irregularities at the Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (Cenpelco) and the active role of a slain top official of the cooperative in unraveling it as a strong motive for the killing of the latter official Wednesday night as she was driving home alone.

Sandra Frias, 46, manager of Member Services Department and a familiar voice over local radio interviews with Cenpelco the past several weeks over the current post-typhoon power restoration work , was found slumped dead in her car that ditched down a ricefield in barangay Dumpay I, this town.

She was shot on the left shoulder, the bullet going through her armpit; on the neck and on her left thigh by assassins, believed hired, who trailed her as she left the Cenpelco office in San Carlos City after working overtime that night.

The hired killers struck at around 9:30 p.m. as Frias was going home to Zamora St, this town aboard her white Isuzu Highlander car, investigators said.

Police Chief Ramon Diaz said they found Frias bullet-pierced car in the ricefield along the highway.

Diaz said it was Mayor Raul de Guzman who called him up to inform him about the shooting incident in barangay Dumpay.

Investigators downplayed as very remote and quite shallow insinuations that Frias may have been killed by member-consumers of Cenpelco angry at the very delayed restoration of electricity in their homes.

The Cenpelco guard on duty on the night of the slaying told police he noticed two suspicious-looking persons on a motorcycle who were able to enter and leave the compound of the cooperative premises without being accosted.

A report said the scam involved a missing P11 million which led to the dismissal from service of six employees of the sub-office.
Robbery was ruled out as a motive. Frias’ money as well as grocery items she apparently bought were intact.

Frias, a law graduate, was to have celebrated her 47th birthday last Friday.

Initial investigation by the police showed the gunman who may have been riding a motorcycle used a caliber 38 revolver based on slugs recovered from Frias’ car. No empty shell was found at the scene.

Investigators said the slaying had all the marks of a professional killing by hired guns.