2 explosives recovered in Kidapawan’s biggest mall

KIDAPAWAN CITY - A roving guard of one of the biggest shopping malls in Kidapawan City discovered a paper bag that contained a rifle grenade and a fragmentation grenade on Monday night, a police official said.

City police director Superintendent Ramel Hojilla said the explosives were covered with white cloth and was discovered by a mall security guard Alwente Tabosares, a retired member of the Philippine Army, while he was doing a regular security check at Gaisano Grand Mall compound at around 7:28 p.m.

Hojilla said the paper bag was left by still unidentified suspects at the back portion of the mall compound, just near the stockroom, where there was no closed circuit television (CCTV) security camera.

“The suspect knew very well that the area has no CCTV so that he/she couldn’t be traced if we’re to dig deeper the investigation of this case,” said Hojilla.

He said one of the motives that came out while they were doing the initial investigation was the allegedly brewing ‘conflict’ between the mall’s security personnel.

“The mall has two security agencies and based on our investigation, there were security guards who were at odds against each other,” said the police official.

He discounted the possibility that the incident at Gaisano Grand Mall was not, in any way, connected to the recovery of two hoax bombs in nearby M’lang town, also in North Cotabato.

The city is set to celebrate Timpupo Festival as part of its founding day, which would start on August 10 and to culminate on August 19.

In M’lang, authorities recovered two suspected improvised explosive devices placed in two separate areas – one was found on Sunday afternoon and the other on Monday morning, reports said.

Authorities hinted the suspects left these hoax bombs in two separate areas along the national highway in M’lang to scare and sow panic among residents. —KG, GMA News