Alleged notorious robbers in Northern Cebu arrested

CEBU, Philippines - Carmen police have arrested three persons allegedly responsible for a series of robbery incidents in the town and the neighboring city of Danao.

Arrested the other day were Rodolfo Lavador,30, Ariel Almendras, 20, and Joseph Almendras,25, all of Tabok-Camaligbato, Danao City. The three fell just as they allegedly were about to pull a heist at a bus station in Carmen.

The suspects were also tagged as the ones responsible for robbing and killing a tricycle driver last Tuesday.

A 357 Magnum revolver with five live bullets was seized from Lavador while a .38 snub nose loaded with three live bullets was seized from Almendras. Another .38 snub nose revolver was confiscated from Josephus Almendras.

Carmen police chief Carlos Reyes Jr. said that last Wednesday, they received a tip from an attendant of the Sto. Niño Bus Stop in barangay Luyang that three armed men arrived at the area on board a motorcycle.

One of the three reportedly looked liked the person on the photos of the suspects in the killing of tricycle driver Rodolfo Aparri last Tuesday.

Reyes said they immediately noticed the three men when they arrived at the Sto. Niño Bus Stop, but when they introduced themselves as policemen, one of the three, Lavador, allegedly tried to resist arrest. One of the arresting officers, SPO1 Joselito Jopia, was injured when Lavador resisted. Residents in the area reportedly helped to corner Lavador, as the other policemen arrested his two companions.

Reyes said that based on the information they have gathered, the three were planning to pull a heist at the bus station. Later, a fish vendor positively identified Lavador as one of those that robbed and killed Aparri. The items seized from the suspects will be forwarded to the PNP Crime Laboratory for ballistic examination. Police earlier recovered a slug of a .357 Magnum from the remains of Aparri.The suspects are presently detained at the Carmen police station pending the filing of formal charges against them today.

Carmen Mayor Sonia Pua lauded the police for the arrest of the suspects.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, a 20-year-old resident of Compostela town was placed under arrest for stealing a motorcycle owned from a resident of Catmon. Gabriel Kim Rosal was arrested at a checkpoint along the national highway in barangay Luyang. Rosal’s companion, however, eluded arrest. — Jose P. Sollano/JMO (THE FREEMAN)