CEBU, Philippines – A “stolen” P1,000 bill triggered a Filipino-Japanese restaurant owner to get mad and shoot the man who allegedly pocketed it.
Hamza Kayani, 24-year-old owner of Sutukil restaurant at Barangay East Timawa in Molo district of Iloilo City, now remains at-large after shooting Joemarie Arcones, Monday evening.
Earlier that day, Arcones, 37, of President Roxas town in Capiz and employee of La Fontana Water Refilling Station in Iloilo City, delivered water to Kayani’s restaurant.
When he left, Kayani’s wife noticed that the P1,000 bill placed on top of the cashier’s table disappeared. Upon checking the restaurant’s closed circuit television footage, she saw Arcones took it.
Kayani’s wife immediately went to La Fontana and confronted Arcones, who immediately returned the money. The wife then told their employees never to tell Kayani about what happened. “But someone squealed,” said Senior Inspector Rio Maymay, Molo Police chief.
Kayani, with an unidentified companion, immediately went to La Fontana and asked the owner if he could “borrow” Arcones to his restaurant. Inside the Pajero, Kayani allegedly started punching Arcones and, at one point, pistol-whipped the latter.
Upon reaching Sutukil, Kayani again pistol-whipped Arcones, while disembarking from the vehicle, and then fired his gun at the latter, one bullet of which hit Arcones’ right leg. Kayani and his companion immediately fled the area.
Responding policemen found from the scene five emply shells and one live bullet of a handgun. They brought Arcones to the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital.
Maymay said a hot pursuit operation was conducted at places where Kayani were known to have gone to. They went to the city’s Mandurriao district and in Dueñas town of Iloilo but failed to find the suspect, who until now has not sent any surrender feelers.