Firearm repairman arrested in Caloocan

The Northern Police District (NPD) arrested yesterday a firearm repair specialist in Caloocan City, seizing an improvised shotgun with one live bullet in its magazine.

NPD director Chief Superintendent Raul Gonzales identified the suspect as Dindo Viola, 30, of Kaunlaran Village, Dagat-Dagatan, Caloocan City.

PO2 Noel Falcatan, an NPD-District Mobile Force (DMF) operative, said he riding his motorcycle on Tanigue street on the way to the district office at around 6:45 a.m. when he spotted Viola carrying a sack, from which a butt of a long firearm was sticking out.

Falcatan stopped and inspected the sack being carried by Viola and found inside a homemade rifle that looked like an M-14. The magazine was loaded with a single bullet from a 12-gauge shotgun.

Also seized from the suspect were several steel pipes and an unfinished wooden casing for a rifle.

According to the suspect, he has been a technician for a security agency for the past nine years. His field of expertise was repairing firearms.

Viola said that a certain Henry of Dagat-Dagatan was the owner of the weapon, which he repaired for P700.

The suspect denied he was connected with any criminal group.

Superintendent Constante "Junboy" Azares, NPD-Deputy Director for Operations, ordered a background check on the suspect.