The victims, fish dealers in Pasil, were Francisco de Gracia Jr. and wife Bernadeth. They were riding a trisikad on their way home to Concepcion Street, of the same barangay, when two armed men blocked their way and grabbed their bag containing the money.
"Gibira man niya (ang bag), ako untang gibitad og balik unya gitiunan man sa usa si Jun (Francisco) ako nalang gihatag (ang bag)," Bernadeth said, adding that the robbers then ran to a waiting motorcycle driven by another man and sped off toward Taboan.
Shortly after, barangay Suba tanod chief Michael Yburan passed by and noticed the agitated crowd around the couple. He was told of the robbery and of the yellow motorcycle, with plate number YZ-4281, used by the fleeing robbers.
This prompted him to take his own and give chase. Farther away, Yburan saw one of the robbers alighted in Lakandula Street at barangay San Nicolas and ducked for cover as he passed by.
Yburan continued chasing the two others but he lost them at Tres de Abril Street. He decided to retrace his route with the idea of catching the robber he saw alighting at Lakandula. Upon reaching there, people said the man took a jeepney toward Pasil Market.
Yburan quickly coordinated with the San Nicolas Police who later joined him in putting up a roadblock ahead of the jeepney's route in Tupaz Street. This paid off, as Yburan and the policemen got the suspect they later knew as Jessie Sta. Ana.
People nearby, upon learning of Sta. Ana's involvement in the robbery, immediately mauled him until the policemen told them to stop.
Sta. Ana was first taken to the Cebu City Medical Center then detained at the City Police. A .45 caliber pistol, loaded with five live bullets, was found tucked in his waist.
Meanwhile, the City Police theft and robbery section led by C/Insp. Ambrocio Ibones pursued the two cohorts of Sta. Ana but they failed, as yet.
Back to Sta. Ana, he allegedly admitted involvement in the robbery but mentioned only the names "Yonon" and "Roger" as his alleged companions. The bag and the money was not however recovered so far.
Investigators later learned that Sta. Ana, a native of Dumingag in Zamboanga del Sur, and the other two had stayed at his sister's house owned at sitio Zapatera in barangay Luz.
Jalyn Esmero, his sister, however denied knowing the real work of Sta. Ana who only arrived with three others in Cebu last August 23, and requested that they be given temporary place to stay. Her husband Richard added that Sta. Ana never told the names of his companions except that they were looking for a job in Lapu-Lapu City.
The police believed the robbers have contact person inside the Pasil Market that fed them information of probable victims. For this reason, authorities said they would invite a taxi operator who previously stood as sponsore of the victims' wedding. - Edwin Ian Melecio