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Friday, October 03, 2003
Suspect in Lepanto robbery-slay nabbed
By Cheryl G. Cruz
MANKAYAN, Benguet -- A 36-year-old native of Tadian, Mt. Province arrested for frustrated murder turned to be one of seven persons allegedly behind the killing of five Lepanto employees and the carting away of P12-million in gold bar last month.
Senior Supt. Eugene Martin, chief of the Cordillera PNP directorial staff, identified the suspect as Joseph Coop, married, and a native of Tadian, Mt. Province.
"It's just like shooting two birds with one stone. The police did not expect that they were also arresting one of the seven suspects in the Lepanto rob-slay when they served a warrant of arrest for frustrated murder to Coop," Martin stressed.
Coop was apprehended by combined elements of the Benguet and Mt. Province Police as well as the 1604th Police Mobile Group and Mankayan Municipal Station in Ampontoc, Colalo, Mankayan, nine days after the Lepanto incident.
Authorities said the suspect, who walks with a limp, was identified by the witnesses who incidentally saw him being arrested for the frustrated murder charges.
Barangay Colalo in Mankayan where Coop was arrested is adjacent to Barangay Lepanto - the place where the daring rob-slay took place last month.
A Lepanto site engineer and four company guards were killed in the gruesome incident last September 20 while a 21.86-kilo gold bar and two baby armalites were stolen.
Coop is now detained at the provincial jail while additional charges were already filed against him at the Provincial Prosecutor's Office in La Trinidad, Benguet.
Flor Fajilan, personnel manager of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company, meanwhile, expressed optimism that Coop's arrest would eventually lead to the apprehension of the remaining robbers and the recovery of the gold bar.
The company earlier offered a P100,000 reward to anybody who could help authorities solve the crime.
"We're still on a red alert level here in Lepanto. But we're hoping that with his arrest, the other suspects will eventually be known and arrested and the gold bar recovered," Fajilan said Thursday.
Martin said the police are continuing their hot pursuit operations against the remaining robbers and have called on witnesses to come out in the open and help.
Benguet Gov. Raul Molintas already called on prospective gold buyers to coordinate with the police first before closing deals to ensure the gold they are buying is not the same as the one stolen from Lepanto Mines.
He explained the robbers might be planning to dispose of the stolen metal and that buyers should be vigilant not fall prey to the scheme.
Fajilan said buyers normally know the "signature" of various gold bars.
"Unless tinunaw uli, alam naman ng mga gold buyer kung saang company galing yong gold bar (Unless it was melted again, bold buyers will know what company the gold bar came from," he said.
(October 3, 2003 issue)
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