Suspects in P2M rob-slay identified

Saturday, February 18, 2012

THE two suspects who robbed a sugar trader’s secretary P2 million and killed the latter’s bodyguard in Kabankalan City last Wednesday were already identified.

The city police, however, refused to divulge the suspects’ names pending completion of follow-up operations.

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Superintendent Calixto Mabugat, Kabankalan City police chief, said Friday in an interview over a local radio station that they have already identified the suspects who robbed sugar trader’s secretary Cheryl Bigota, 32, of Barangay 1; and killed Celso Cari-an, 67, a bodyguard, a resident of Barangay Binicuil.

Cari-an and Bigota are employees of Herminia Ledesma, a sugar trader in Kabankalan City.

The two suspects, who were riding in tandem aboard a motorcycle, ran off with P2 million after robbing Bigota and killing Cari-an last Wednesday as they were about to enter Ledesma’s residence at Ramos Subdivision in Barangay 4.

Mabugat said one of the suspects was identified by witnesses through the rouges gallery of Kabankalan Police Station, noting that one of them has a pending record for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

He said the suspects are residents of Kabankalan City and Ilog, Negros Occidental.

Investigation showed that Bigota, accompanied by Cari-an, withdrew money from a bank in the city last Wednesday afternoon. They then proceeded around 3:23 p.m. to the house of Ledesma at Ramos Subdivision in Barangay 4.

When the victims reached Ledesma’s house, Bigota pressed the doorbell to request entry, but the suspects riding in tandem aboard a motorcycle stopped in front of the house.

One of the suspects alighted and pointed a gun at Cari-an and forcibly took the bag which contained almost P2 million, Mabugat said.

When Cari-an resisted, the suspect shot him. Cari-an was hit in different parts of his body and was rushed to the Southern Negros Doctor’s Hospital but he was dead when he reached there. Bigota was not harmed during the heist.

The suspects then fled on board their black XRM motorcycle going east of Barangay 4.

Mabugat said they also tried to visit the families of the suspects but they failed to get information from them.

He said on Monday, they will file robbery with homicide charges before the City Prosecutor’s Office against the suspects.

Mabugat also advised the public to be vigilant and to cooperate with the authorities for the immediate arrest of the suspects.