Notorious robber nabbed in North Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Police arrested on Thursday 19-year-old Jestoni Saban, considered one of the most notorious thieves in North Cotabato, in a dragnet operation here.

Inspector Arniel Melocotones, deputy chief of the Kidapawan City police, said Saban was nabbed inside his rented house on Sinsuat extension around 8:30 a.m. after thorough surveillance operations.

Melocotones said three of his men, in plain clothes, posted as onlookers and passersby, while he and two others in full battle gear were positioned just few meters away from Saban's house.

Saban resisted arrest and attempted to escape.

"But our men were a lot bigger than him so he failed to escape," the police officer said.

Saban is facing two counts of robbery in Kidapawan City. He is also facing robbery charges in nearby Makilala town, also in North Cotabato.

He is also charged with arson when he and his group burned the housing unit in a subdivision here after they have stolen several items inside.

These cases were filed against him when he was still a minor, records from the police said.

When Saban was first arrested in March 2010, the suspect, being a minor, was placed inside the police’s Youth Custodial Center.

But he escaped from the center through help from his father identified as Danilo Saban, who, in April 2012, was shot dead by riding in tandem.

Jestoni's father Danilo, police records show, was also a notorious thief whose operations include North Cotabato and Davao del Sur.

Melocotones said they are looking into the possibility that Saban was part of the group that ransacked Davao Central Warehouse last week.

"Based on our data, Saban is active in several robbery gangs operating in the city and nearby towns in North Cotabato. We are looking at the possibility that one of his groups might be involved in the Central Warehouse robbery," Melocotones said. (MCM)