Saturday, December 27, 2003
String of robbery-holdups continue
By Ruby P. Silubrico
THE series of robbery-holdup incidents in the province continue, as authorities have yet to arrest the suspects in the previous cases that have alarmed Ilonggos.
Around 2:30 p.m. Friday, holduppers struck again, robbing the store of a Chinese-Filipino businessman in Barangay Ungka 1, Pavia, of more than P20,000 in cash and valuables.
Police said the four unidentified men rushed inside the Samstone Construction and Infrastructure Supply owned by Boy So and declared a holdup while poking their guns at the six employees.
Aside from cash, they also took away the personal belongings of the employees like cellphones and jewelry items.
Before staging the holdup, the suspects boarded a Dollar Taxi with plate number FVP 443 driven by Edwin Palteras of Tigbauan, Iloilo.
Palteras said the three men rode his taxi somewhere in Luna, La Paz and instructed him to go to Barangay Bitoon, Jaro.
After several minutes of roaming around the area, the suspects told him to return to the city proper.
But when they reached Barangay Balabago, Jaro, the holduppers told him to pull over. Afterwhich, they hogtied him and covered his eyes and mouth with a packaging tape.
One of the four men then took over the wheel. Palteras said the holduppers pushed his head down while the taxi was running.
After a few minutes, the vehicle stopped and the men left. They returned after several minutes.
Later, the holduppers left Palteras at Barangay Jibao-an, Sta. Barbara, where he sought help from the residents and reported the incident to the Pavia Police Station.
The Pavia robbery holdup incident is the fourth since last week.
Last December 15, still unidentified robbers took off with P100,000 from a softdrinks dealer in Molo, Iloilo City.
The night of December 18, a Ceres Liner fell victim to two robbers in Sara, Iloilo. During the heist, one of the passengers died when a robber shot him.
Then at dawn of December 19, armed men held up a group of fish brokers in Cabatuan. Robbers carted away P12,000.
Last month, a couple from Dumangas also lost more than P500,000 in cash and valuables to highway robbers.
Investigation
Meanwhile, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office is now conducting a thorough investigation on whether Palteras participated in the incident or not.
This, after Palteras' declaration had a similarity to the declaration of the taxi driver whose vehicle was used by the robbers in the P3.5 million Princeworld Money Changer heist in Iloilo City last October.
Palteras, however, denied involvement, saying his vehicle was only used by the robbers. RPS
(December 27, 2003 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
