CEBU, Philippines – Police nabbed an alleged thief, who claimed he is a member of a gang, dawn yesterday in Carmen Village, barangay Poblacion, Talisay City after an unlicensed firearm was seized from his possession and after he was positively identified as part of a robbery.
PO3 Mikie Espina, PO2 Roelito Tano and PO1 Jundave David of the Talisay City Police Office arrested one Miko Taguera, a resident of barangay Sinsin, Cebu City, in a roving they had conducted at the said area.
Taguera, who claimed to be a member of the Alpha Kappa Rho (Akhro), was arrested after police confiscated an unlicensed .38 caliber revolver with six live bullets from his possession.
The law enforcers said that they arrested the suspect when they spotted him holding the said firearm while walking on the road in the said village. They suspected that Taguera was about to carry out another illegal activity at that time.
Supt. Henry Biñas, director of the Talisay City Police Office, said that Taguera is the same man who robbed 16-year-old trisikad driver, Junnel Romay, of sitio Tiago, barangay San Isidro. Romay lost his 3310 Nokia mobile phone allegedly to Taguera the previous afternoon in barangay Tabunok.
Biñas said that Romay told them he knew Taguera so he went to the place where the suspect used to hang around and pleaded to have his cellphone back but the suspect reportedly ordered Romay to pay him P500 first.
Romay then reported the incident to the police. He said that he managed to save some of his earnings from being a trisikad driver in order to buy the said cellphone and eventually be able to contact a relative in the province.
During police interrogation, the suspect admitted robbing Romay’s cellphone which was also recovered from his possession.
Meanwhile, Gerald Bechayda, team leader of Task Force Bantay Kable of Globe Telecommunications, went to the police station yesterday dawn to report about another cable wire in barangay Lawaan II which was again stolen.
Police then presented Taguera to Bechayda who positively identified the suspect as one of those responsible for stealing cable wires.
Biñas also said that Taguera admitted he has a group which conducts robbery on their target areas such as barangays Tabunok, Pooc, and Cansojong.
The suspect, who is now detained at the Talisay City Police Station, will be facing charges for theft, robbery, and illegal possession of firearm that the police filed against him. — Niña G. Sumacot/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)