By CESAR JOLITO III

Police recovered an improvised firearm and suspected shabu from a 45-year-old man who was arrested after he allegedly threatened to splash muriatic acid at his estranged wife at Barangay I-A in Negros Occidental’s Manapla town.

Jaynard Bito, a resident of Villa Jose Housing in the village, was arrested during a police operation in Sitio Lukdo on Sunday, June 28.

Manapla police said the wife, who was inside her residence at around 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, allegedly saw Bito outside shouting threats that he would douse her with muriatic acid.

Fearing for her safety, the woman fled the house while their 21-year-old son confronted his father.

During the police operation, authorities recovered an improvised firearm locally known as a sulpak and two sachets containing suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P27,000.

Manapla police chief Captain Marion Vicente Buenaflor said the suspect had been the subject of several previous complaints filed by his wife.

However, responding officers were often unable to locate him during earlier incidents.

Buenaflor added that the couple had already separated, but the suspect would allegedly continue visiting the residence where his wife was staying and threatening her.

The suspect is now under police custody and is expected to face charges for violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, illegal possession of a firearm, and other appropriate offenses in connection with the alleged threats./CCJ, WDJ