Pawnshop owner foils robbery

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — A group of armed men failed to succeed in robbing a pawnshop in this city, when the establishment's owner fired at them, causing them to flee and leave their motorcycle at the scene.

The police later arrested them after the owner of the abandoned "borrowed" motorcycle led the authorities to the robbers' hiding place.

The arrested suspects were identified as Wesler Sepulveda, 37, of Tangub City in Misamis Occidental; Tripon Camasura, 31, of Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur; Jun Carlo Manlegro, 25, of Molave in Zamboanga del Sur; Mark Alvin Rosal, 30, an assistant cook of a bar at Barangay Alta Vista in Ormoc City; and Alfredo y Serato y Joseph, 44, a heavy equipment operator of the Energy Development Corporation and the owner of the gang's hideout at Zone 3, this city.

Senior Inspector Rio Tan, city police station chief, said another suspect, a certain Pedro Magdadaro who was also from Ormoc, eluded arrest. The police were still trying to determine who, among the three Ormocanons, was the "mastermind" of the robbery group that has been operating in this city for a quite some time.

Three of the robbers on Tuesday noon barged into the Anjes Pawnshop, located at Aviles Street, this city, held a gun to the security guard's head and took his service rifle. But before they could ransack the displayed jewelry, pawnshop owner King Aviles quickly pulled out his Gluck 23 pistol from his drawer and fired thrice at the robbers, who in turn fired back at him.

King, who is also an officer of the YMCA Rifle and Pistol Club, said his second shot grazed the neck of one of the robbers, who after a brief gunfight decided to run away, leaving their motorcycle behind.

King and his wife, Aileen Suarez Aviles, said they would be pursuing criminal charges against the arrested suspects.

Tan said the police arrested the motorcycle owner, Mark Alvin Rosal, near the scene of the crime, after an informant tipped off authorities that Rosal was among the "curious onlookers" at the scene. Rosal then led the police to where the men who "borrowed" his motorcycle were holed up..

The police official said the arrested men were also suspected to be the ones behind those who robbed a boutique owner of P265,000, two weeks ago.

Another hold-up victim from Barangay Punta, this city, has also surfaced and pointed at one of the suspects as the one who robbed her earlier. — Lalaine M. Jimenea (FREEMAN)