|
Friday, August 18, 2006
'Brains' in Tanjay rob arrested
By Syril G. Repe
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial command arrested a couple believed to be the mastermind in the August 1 hold-up in Barangay Azagra, Tanjay City.
The couple identified as Mansueto Rivero and his wife Ma. Hemogene, of Sta. Aguida in Pamplona, were arrested in their house in the afternoon of August 10 by a joint team from the provincial police command led by Superintendent Melvin Ramon Buenafe and the PNP Tanjay led by Superintendent Juanito Condes.
Condes said Mansueto is a forest guard of the Department of Environment of Natural Resources (DENR) in the province.
He added that the couple's arrest came after Jerry Espino, 24, and Jun Vasquez, 33, following their capture and detention at the Tanjay City PNP detention cell, squealed on their alleged accomplices in the P17,000 early morning hold-up of businessman and Tanjay City general service officer Bogard Ortega Colina.
Condes said Espino and Vasquez claimed that a day before the hold-up, the suspects slept at the DENR office in Dumaguete City.
He said the suspects admitted that their group was behind the hold-up of Caltex gasoline station in Amlan town last month.
The Rivero couple, however, denied any link to the group, saying they were framed.
"We don't know Espino and Vasquez and we haven't met," one of the couple said.
The couple is now detained at the Tanjay City police detention cell and charged for robbery hold-up and carnapping.
Espino and Vasquez were captured in Barangay Bulwang, Mabinay a few hours after a manhunt operation by police from Tanjay City, Bais City, and Mabinay, and the PNP Regional Mobile Group.
Both identified their leader only by his nickname, Toto, an alleged army soldier who was killed along with two Mabinay policemen in a grenade blast during his arrest in Barangay Bagtic 12 hours after the Azagra hold-up.
A few days after the incident, a woman from Purok Kingfisher, Libertad Baybay, of Barangay 16, Bacolod City arrived in Mabinay and identified the slain Toto as her brother, ex Philippine Army Corporal Christopher Estefano, 49, and temporarily residing in Barangay Bantayan, Kabankalan City.
Josephine Estefano Villar, 53, married, requested that the body of her brother be exhumed and that she wanted to bury him at the Bantayan cemetery in Kabbaankalan City.
(August 17, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
