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Thursday, July 31, 2008
4 nabbed over Lilo-an robbery
CEBU CITY - A security guard had himself shot and stabbed to make it appear he had no hand in the robbery last Monday that killed two teenagers in a gasoline station in Liloan town, police said.
Investigators, however, saw through the ruse and arrested security guard John Rey Tizon, along with another security guard, a pump boy, and a cashier.
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Two other suspects are being hunted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 and the Liloan Police Station.
Superintendent Rex Derilo of the CIDG 7 identified the arrested robbery suspects as security guards Tizon and Reynante Barbero, pump boy Martin Ygot and cashier Jane Marie Sotelliza, 20.
Police recovered more than P75,000 cash in different denominations, which formed part of the P200,000 cash taken during the heist.
Roland Sanoria, owner of RKS gasoline station where the suspects worked, said he was grateful to the CIDG 7 and the local police for swiftly solving the case.
Sanoria told reporters he was shocked that he was victimized by his own employees whom he treated like members of his family.
"Tingali tungod sa akong kaayo (Maybe they took advantage of my kindness)," Sanoria said.
Tizon is the security guard who was declared in critical condition after suffering gunshot and stab wounds.
But the police learned that Tizon and Barbero were the ones who allegedly planned the robbery before dawn last Monday.
Derilo said that Tizon, who is still confined at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, is now under arrest. Information gathered by the police revealed that the injuries Tizon suffered were intentionally inflicted to make it appear he was also attacked.
Derilo, in a news conference, said the CIDG 7 worked on the case after Sanoria sought their help.
The joint team from CIDG 7 and the Liloan Police Station led by Senior Inspector Ramon Ortiz got a break in the case after Sotelliza, the cashier, sent feelers to the police that she wanted to cooperate in the investigation.
Jose Kelly Quimson, who is also employed in the gasoline station, helped the police in the investigation and arrest of the suspects, Derilo said.
SPO1 Delfin Bontuyan, one of the CIDG 7 operatives, said they picked up Sotelliza past 3 p.m. last Tuesday to find out what she knew about the crime.
Sotelliza reportedly named Ygot, Barbero, Tizon and two other accomplices as those behind the heist. (Police requested that the others not be named, while follow-up operations are ongoing.) The cashier also turned over to the police the P23,500 cash she took from the gasoline station.
Sotelliza, who knew where the money was placed, reportedly served as the other suspects' guide.
At 7 p.m., Bontuyan said, they proceeded to Sitio Looc, Barangay Poblacion, Liloan and picked up Ygot and Barbero, who were on duty at the gasoline station.
Guided by Barbero, the police went to Barangay Tag-ubi in the neighboring town of Compostela, and recovered P42,455 cash which the security guard allegedly kept inside his house.
Sotelliza, in an interview with reporters, admitted knowing about the plan to steal the cash but denied her participation even if she was reported to have pocketed P23,500.
She said the plan was hatched about two to three weeks ago by Barbero and Tizon. She said she was forced to keep mum about it because Barbero threatened to kill her if she squealed.
Sotelliza said she was told by Barbero that he needed the money to pay for his pregnant wife's impending delivery.
According to the plan relayed to her, no one would be killed. They would only take the cash from the vault.
She was surprised to learn when she reported for work on Monday morning that pump boys Johnny Arnecoso, 16, of Mandaue City and Erwin Pakatang, 19, of Batuan, Bohol were killed.
Barbero, in a separate interview, said it was Sotelliza who told them that their employer Sanoria failed to get the money from the vault.
Sotelliza, according to Barbero, took P23,500 in advance before depositing the rest of the money into the vault and left the gasoline station.
Barbero, however, would no longer say how they ended up killing the two pump boys.
Ygot, interviewed by reporters at the CIDG 7 stockade, said he only served as the lookout for the two security guards and their accomplices.
He said he stayed outside the gasoline station and did not know why Barbero and Tizon killed Arnecoso and Pakatang. He said he did not know who shot and killed the pump boys.
"Si Tizon nag-unay ra man to siya aron ingnon nga mura siya'g gisulong. Nagpabunal siya og tuyo (Tizon just wanted to make it appear he was attacked too. He asked someone to hit him)," he said. (Jovy S. Taghoy of Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (July 31, 2008 issue)
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