Suspect for killing cop arrested through Facebook

A man wanted for killing his retired cop employer was arrested four years later after the police traced him when he greeted his child happy birthday on Facebook. 

The suspect was identified as Prelan Grama, who was arrested by authorities in Sogod, Southern Leyte this Saturday, according to Marisol Abdurahman’s report in GMA News “24 Oras.”

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Grama allegedly killed his former employer, retired Manila Police District Station 3 commander Colonel Cipriano Herrera in December 2015.

“Sa tulong po ng social media at saka ng networking, nagkaroon tayo ng magagandang lead para matunton natin ang kinaroroonan ng mga wanted na tao,” said Police Colonel Remus Medina, NCRPO RSOG chief.

(Through the help of social media and networking, we were able to gather leads to trace the location of the wanted suspect.)

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“Birthday ng anak niya [Grama] tapos binati niya ‘yong anak niya through Facebook using not his name pero may mukha siya doon kaya nakuha siya,” added Medina.

(It was his child’s birthday, so he posted a greeting through Facebook using not his name, but his face was there, so he was traced.)

On Tuesday, Grama was flown to Manila.

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Also read: Police uncover Facebook page selling babies for as little as 10,000 pesos

Wanted suspect arrested through Facebook

Grama confessed to the crime but said he had just taken revenge for his sister, who allegedly molested the victim.

However, the suspect apologized to the victim’s family.

Fiscal Mariel Herrera was thankful for Grama’s arrest. “It has been a long and painful journey for all of us. There were days during the 4-year period na akala ko ‘di na namin siya makuha pero nagpapasalamat ako na ‘di tumigil ‘yong sa kapulisan [I thought he will never be arrested but the police did not stop],” said the fiscal.

Meanwhile, another rape suspect in Metro Manila was arrested in La Union with the help of social media and lockdown.

Police Major Lymel Pasquin, the team leader of the arrested police, said they arrested Napoleon Polendo when they gave him a chatmate to find his whereabouts.

When Florendo met with the chatmate bait, he was arrested by NCRPO operatives.

According to Medina, the wanted suspects were not able to escape because of the lockdown immediately.

Since the lockdown was implemented, NCRPO has arrested 83 wanted suspects.