BAGUIO CITY—Police have launched a massive manhunt operation against the suspect in the brutal murder of a 68-year-old businessman found dead Tuesday morning with multiple stab wounds on his body.
Senior Superintendent Rolando F. Miranda, officer-in-charge of the Baguio City Police Office, said probers have taken into custody three possible witnesses who have direct knowledge of the identity of the lone suspect.
“We were already able to establish a definite lead and the possible identity of the perpetrator, thus, the launching of a manhunt operation against him. We want to handle the crime as safely as possible to avoid it from being bungled,” Miranda stressed.
Henry Tan Lao, 68, owner of some of the Tiong San stores I Baguio and La Trinidad, Benguet, was found lifeless inside his house at barangay Ferdinand, Baguio City.
Miranda said the victim sustained 34 stab wounds in the different parts of his body. Four of the wounds were fatal.
According to him, several neighbors of the victim said they heard loud noises inside the house as if there were individuals quarreling Monday night. They did not report the matter to the police because such incidents are usual occurrences in the house over the past several weeks.
The victim’s cellphone and a huge amount of money inside his wallet were missing during the investigation, leading investigators to believe that robbery was one of the motives of the victim’s murder.
The police official explained the suspect might be known to the victim because there was no forcible entry to the house. The suspect was also able to flee from the crime scene unnoticed late Monday night.
The suspect and the victim might have been involved in a struggle because the house was in disarray upon the arrival of investigators, the official added.