Highway robbers strike despite return of cops

The return of vacationing policemen for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit has seemed not to perturb some robbers at all after two highway robberies in the city last Saturday and yesterday.

Last Saturday evening three female passengers of a jeepney plying the Talamban route were robbed by two unidentified armed men while they were traveling along Archbishop Reyes Ave. in barangay Apas.

Annie Manlangit, 20, of Nasipit, Talamban; Milmar Salienda, 19, of Gil Tudtud Street in barangay Mabolo, and Leslie Sienes, 23, of Bonifacio of Naga town, reported the incident to the Theft and Robbery Section.

According to the victims, the two suspects boarded the jeepney near the Gaisano Country Mall jeepney stop in Banilad but upon reaching the vicinity of Cebu Country Club the suspects drew out a gun and declared a hold-up.

For fear of getting hurt, the three handed their belongings over. Manlangit gave her bag containing her 1110i Nokia cellphone worth P2,290 while Salienda handed over her gray shoulder bag containing her personal effects and P200 cash, while the robbers also took the Nokia 6610 cellular phone of Sienes worth P6,000.

The suspects then got off the jeepney and then boarded a motorcycle driven by another man who had been tailing the jeepney from Banilad. The three then fled in an undetermined direction.

Yesterday morning, an Indian moneylender also fell victim to yet another robbery by two men who were on board a black Honda TMX motorcycle reportedly with plate number GY-3267.

SPO4 Jaime Repompo of the Pardo police station identified the victim as Paransip Singh, 34, a resident of UN Avenue in barangay Seno, Mandaue City.

Repompo said, the victim was on his way downtown after collecting debts in Sunrise Village in Pardo when the suspects, who were riding tandem on the motorcycle, suddenly blocked his path.

The back rider reportedly disembarked and pointed a gun at him. The victim surrendered his P7,000 to the robber who went back to the waiting motorcycle before speeding off. - Edwin Ian Melecio