Five men arrested for theft, robbery

Cebu City Police Office scored against robbery and theft netting five suspects in three separate occasions, one of the suspects was shot after reportedly attempting to stab a responding policeman.

Mobile Patrol Group policemen SPO2 Narciso Ursal and PO3 Reno Torrefranca were conducting a checkpoint along Magallanes St., barangay Ermita, when a jeepney stopped in front of them and the driver reported that the two men who just got off the jeepney robbed his passenger.

The two policemen hurriedly went to the direction given to them and saw the two who were later identified as Jundy Pacayo, 25, and Robert Arong, 22, both from barangay Tangke, Talisay City.

The two were caught with a .357 revolver with six live rounds, two more rounds in a bag, two cellular phones, two wristwatches, two men’s wallets, a rusty knife and P1,200 cash.

Their victim, Perla Tarona, 50, a resident of barangay Guadalupe, positively identified them as the ones who pointed a gun and knife at her demanding her cellphone, P1,200 cash and wristwatch.

Tarona told reporters that she got on the jeepney in barangay Labangon while the suspects got on the vehicle in Magallanes St.  As the jeepney entered the market the suspects declared a robbery.

She handed over her belongings to the two who then got off the jeepney, just near the checkpoint.

Ursal said the two were immediately arrested because of the information given to them by the jeepney driver.

Pacayo admitted to reporters that he had just left the Talisay City Jail last June 25 for illegal drugs and decided to turn to robbery because he had no other means to earn money.

In another incident, a suspected robber was shot and arrested by responding Night Watch Patrol of the Fuente police station yesterday dawn along Osmeña Blvd. near the vicinity of Police Regional Office-7.

Police identified the suspect as Roberto Plarisan Jr., 20, of sitio Katangkungan, barangay Sambag I, who was hit in the right wrist and grazed in his buttocks after SPO1 Jose Rodulfo Ebale Jr. shot him.

Ebale was patrolling with PO1 Rhea May Tinoco onboard a motorcycle when they spotted a commotion inside a jeepney heading towards Colon St.

The two tailed the jeepney and upon reaching the P. del Rosario intersection passenger Jermy Amitin, 20, of barangay Basak-San Nicolas, said he was robbed by the two men who had just disembarked.

Amitin was taken on board the motorcycle and asked to help identify the robbers, but they only managed to catch up with Plarisan near the PRO-7 headquarters.  Plarisan who reportedly tried to attack Ebale forcing the policeman to shoot his wrist.

The victim’s cellphone and P2,000 cash were not recovered.

Acccording to Fuente police station Chief Insp. Henry Biñas they are now looking into possible connection of the suspect to the robbery of a spa in the area more than a week ago.

Night watch patrol was detailed in the area to stop occurrence of robberies perpetrated by believed to be members of gangs at the said place victimizing passersby and passenger jeepneys.

In another police operation, Sr. Inspector Michael Bastes chief of the Theft and Robbery Section arrested two men who ran away from them in barangay Kamagayan.

According to Bastes, they have just finished eating their lunch at a small eatery along Pelaez Street in barangay Camagayan when they saw Jay Jagoros, 22, and Ruben Bauro, 22, both from Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, who ran away upon seeing them.

This prompted Bastes and his men to chase the suspects and finally collared them at Osmeña Blvd. near Colon St.

The two later confessed to be pickpockets, they have been staying in sitio Langub, barangay Guadalupe, since January.  — Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP