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Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Cop, victims' driver tied to million-peso heist
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Christmas this year would have some significance for the Lim family who is engaged in the purchase and sale of agricultural products in Cagayan de Oro.
The city police captured three robbers who victimized the Lims at their residence in the Everbest Agri Products building in Julio-Pacana streets, Barangay Puntod at past 1:00 a.m. Tuesday.
The robbers carted away over a million worth of cash, jewelry, and appliance items.
Later in the afternoon, police arrested the Lim family's driver after the robbery suspects confessed he had provided them access to the house.
The robbers forced open the Everbest Agri Product store at around 1 a.m. The proprietor, Ferdinand Lim, and his family live in the upper floors of the building where the store is located.
Lim is engaged in buying and selling agricultural products.
After gaining access to the house, the six robbers tied Lim, his wife, his three daughters, and their house helpers.
"They said they wanted money so I told them to get everything they could find and pleaded with them not to harm my children," Lim said.
Drug lair
Authorities arrested a few hours later three of the robbers in the Misamis Oriental town of Initao after a concerned citizen informed them about a Toyota Revo that appeared to have crashed in the town.
The other three robbers were able to escape with the Lim family's silver gray Toyota CRV.
Initao police identified one of the captured suspects as 36-year-old policeman Reggie Velasco, who is detailed with the 904th Mobile Force in Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur.
Velasco reportedly introduced himself as a policeman and that they were going to search Lim's residence because it was a drug lair.
Police Superintendent Joseller Arieta, of the Sibugay Provincial Police Office, said Velasco had gone absent without leave since November 23, and did not surrender his service firearm.
It was later learned that Velasco's 9mm caliber pistol service was among the weapons used in the robbery, along with the .45 and 380 caliber pistols used by the other suspects.
The other two suspects were identified as 29-year-old Arman Ulasiman and 22-year-old Wilmer Aballe, both residents of Zamboanga del Sur.
Sleeping on job
In the ensuing investigation by agents of the Cagayan de Oro Anti-Theft and Robbery Section later in the day, the suspects alleged that Lim's driver, identified as Jerry Cervantes, conspired with them to commit the robbery.
They said Cervantes provided them door keys and other details to familiarize them with the inner layout of Lim's house.
Cervantes, who was nabbed by anti-theft and robbery section agents in the afternoon of the same day, admitted he colluded with the suspects but maintained he did not participate in the actual robbery.
Police are still pursuing three other suspects, who are believed to be in possession of the substantial portion of the stolen items.
Mayor Vicente Emano immediately issued his commendations to the Initao police, while opposition Councilor Zaldy Ocon in his radio program chided the Cagayan de Oro Police Office "for sleeping in its job."
Ocon said he was at a loss to understand how the suspects got away from the city police's layer of checkpoints in the eastern part of the city where the suspects were headed. (Danilo Adorador III of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
(December 7, 2005 issue)
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