MANILA - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has found probable cause to indict 3 police officers and an asset over the death of Grade 12 student Kian delos Santos in an anti-drug operation in Caloocan last year.

Witnesses had said the 17-year-old Delos Santos, whom police tagged as a drug courier, was mauled by the officers, given a gun and was told to run for his life before he was shot dead.

• Police say Kian was killed before drug links known

The DOJ recommended the filing of murder, planting of drugs and planting of firearms charges against PO3 Arnel Oares, PO1 Jeremias Pereda and PO1 Jerwin Cruz, and police asset Renator Perez Loveras.

LOOK: Excerpts of 43-page DOJ resolution on Kian delos Santos slay | via @InaReformina pic.twitter.com/uFmpmciTMz

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) January 29, 2018

The 3 officers conducted the anti-drug operation where Delos Santos was killed and relieved from the Caloocan police Station 7.

Oares and Pereda had admitted that they were the men shown in a CCTV footage dragging Delos Santos to the spot where he was killed.

Cruz, however, had denied this and said it was not the teenager they were dragging, but a police asset.

Public uproar over Delos Santos' killing triggered a Senate hearing and prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to pull out policemen from his anti-narcotics campaign for 2 months.

The national police on Monday relaunched "Oplan Tokhang," its door-to-door anti-drug drive.

• Police relaunch 'Tokhang' as bishops warn vs 'waste of lives'