CIIB cop relieved for 'stealing'

A policeman from the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch was relieved of his functions after he was accused of stealing money during a drug raid in barangay Ermita last Monday night.

Cebu City Police Office director Melvin Gayotin yesterday ordered the relief of PO2 Dennis Labra and had him transferred to the Security and Service Group pending an investigation.

Labra was accused of taking money from a house which was not the subject of the raid last Monday evening when the CIIB police raided the house of known drug pushers in barangay Ermita .

Gayotin said the complainant told him that the raiding team asked permission from the complainant to allow them to enter his house to get to the house of one Estelita Lerio, who was the subject of their search warrant.

While inside the complainant's house, the complainant saw Labra take his P1,700 and place it in his pocket.

The police seized shabu from Lerio's house, although Lerio was not there at that time.

After the raid, the complainant followed the raiding team to CCPO where he positively identified Labra in a police lineup.

Gayotin said that he believes the complainant has no "axe to grind" against the raiding team because he was not the subject of the search warrant.

Gayotin said he cannot ascertain Labra would be reassigned back to the CIIB if he is cleared of the accusation.

For his part CIIB chief P/Supt. Paul Labra, who is the superior and cousin of the accused, only said that he will avoid conducting an investigation for fear of being misconstrued. - Flor Z.Perolina