TRS chief wants rob suspects put in the “most wanted” list

A Cebu City Police official wants the prime suspects in the robbery of a lending firm the other day included in the “most wanted” list.

Theft and Robbery Section Chief Michael Anthony Bastes yesterday said he will be recommending that Do-roteo Imperial and Danilo Flores be put in the list of the Most Wanted Persons that strike not only in Cebu City, but also in neighboring cities and towns.

Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau Chief George Ylanan said he will discuss the recommendation with Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador as soon as he will be get back from his vacation.

Imperial and Flores are two of the three suspects in the robbery of A-1 Financial Services Inc. along General Maxilom Avenue around 2:30 p.m. last Wednesday, taking with them P25,000 cash and cellular phones.

Helsa Sarines, 36, account officer of the lending firm, positively identified the suspects through the pictures presented to them by the police.

To recall, on Oct. 5, 2006, two armed men also robbed the lending firm’s branch along Osmeña Blvd. located near the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 headquarters.

On the same day, just 20 minutes after the heist at Osmeña Blvd., the same robbery suspects robbed Asialink Finance Corp., which is located across the A-1 Financial Services’ branch that was also recently robbed.

Suspected robber Dindo Ancero was arrested by a team of CCPO policemen led by Supt. Pablo Labra II less than 24 hours after the Oct. 5 twin robberies.

Ancero, who has been charged with robbery, was identified by the witnesses and employees of A-1 and Asialink as one of the two robbers who struck their firms.

Bastes believes that Imperial’s group is trying to raise money for the bail bond of another robbery suspect, Junard Saladaga, who was arrested in Pagadian City two weeks ago by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group based in Mindanao.

Reports have it that Sa-ladaga will be brought to Cebu City because the warrant for his arrest was issued by a court in Cebu.

Bastes said Imperial and Saladaga are among the remaining members of the robbery group formed by jailed leaders Rey Torres and Danny Limotan.

He believes that Imperial and company are still hiding in Cebu.

In the recent robbery last Wednesday, Bastes pointed out security lap-ses in the lending firm such as the absence of a surveillance camera and alarm system. — Garry B. Lao/NLQ