Lover’s boast does in holdup suspect

A boast of his live-in partner led to the arrest over the weekend of one of the three suspects in a P230,000 payroll robbery in Pasig City on May 31.

Neighbors of the unidentified live-in partner of the suspect, Arturo Lara, 41, alias Pungay, heard her boasting that she had enough money to buy shabu right after three men grabbed the payroll money of the San Sebastian Allied Services Inc. (SSASI).

Lara was arrested Sunday in his house at Dr. Pilapil St., Barangay San Miguel. He did not resist arrest.

He denied involvement in the robbery that resulted in the killing of SSASI coordinator, Joselito Bautista, but two witnesses positively identified Lara in a police lineup.

Superintendent John Sosito, Pasig City police chief said Lara is facing pending cases of robbery in Antipolo City and Binangonan, Rizal. Sosito said Lara shaved off his moustache but failed to mislead witnesses in the payroll robbery.

Witnesses said Bautista and his three companions were on their way back to their office when two armed men riding tandem on a motorcycle blocked their path and announced a holdup.

The victim and his compaion dashed out of their vehicle and started running but one of the suspects ran after him and opened fire at close range. Bautista sustained three gunshot wounds in the body and died on the spot.

Sosito ordered the filing of homicide and robbery-holdup charges against Lara before the Pasig City prosecutor’s office.