DATU ANGGAL MIDTIMBANG, Maguindanao del Sur — What began as a brazen daylight ambush turned into a deeper criminal case after police recovered suspected illegal drugs and firearms from the victim’s possession.
The victim, identified as Aldren Arendain Almento, 41, married, and a resident of General Santos City, was shot multiple times by an unidentified gunman around 9:49 a.m. Thursday, September 4, in Sitio Ataw, Barangay Tulunan. Almento was driving his silver Toyota Innova (plate number LGN 455) when armed assailants opened fire, hitting him in various parts of the body.
Police from the Talayan Municipal Police Station immediately rushed him to the IPHO Provincial Hospital for emergency treatment, while the suspect fled in an unknown direction.
During the crime scene processing, authorities recovered items from Almento’s vehicle that raised further questions:
- A large heat-sealed plastic sachet containing suspected shabu,
- A digital weighing scale,
- A Norinco .45 caliber pistol with serial number 203650 and a magazine loaded with seven rounds.
The discovery has prompted investigators to widen the scope of their probe, with police not ruling out illegal drug activities as a possible angle behind the ambush.
A hot pursuit operation has been launched against the gunman, while nearby PNP and AFP units have been placed on alert to block potential escape routes. The Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) were also deployed for a thorough forensic investigation.
PNP BARMM spokesperson Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura confirmed the ongoing investigation, stressing that authorities are determined to identify the suspect and establish the motive behind the attack.