POLICE authorities have identified the culprit behind a theft incident in Lapu-Lapu City, which led to the false accusation and mistreatment of a criminology student.
In a phone interview with SunStar Cebu on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) spokesperson, Police Lt. Col. Christian Torres, confirmed that the suspect in the theft incident is a 20-year-old male resident of Barangay Marigondon, where the crime occurred.
“Identified na to ang nangawat. Na-recover na ang mga butang pero di naman siya ma-arrested kay taod-taod naman ang nahitabo. Gi-file nalang ang kaso, regular filing, sa kasong theft and robbery,” he said.
(The thief has already been identified. The stolen items have been recovered, but the suspect cannot be arrested anymore because the incident happened quite some time ago. A case has been filed, through regular filing, for theft and robbery.)
Torres said that among the seized items in the possession of the individual is an old BMX bike and chainsaw that were recovered two days after the incident, which was reported on Oct. 4.
When asked if the criminology student was connected to the case, Torres said that, according to the culprit’s confession, he acted alone and did not implicate the student in the crime.
The LCPO spokesperson also said there are no witnesses and evidence that could prove that the criminology student is involved in the crime.
The issue gained public attention after a family member of the criminology student took to social media to expose the abuse the student allegedly suffered at the hands of officers at Police Station 4.
According to the post, two police officers from Marigondon Police Station 4 allegedly beat and mistreated the student, who had been working as a house caretaker with the family of the theft victim since the age of nine.
Previous reports also claimed that the student was wrongfully accused of theft by the officers on duty and was subjected to both physical and verbal abuse.
On Oct. 10, the family of the criminology student filed a police report at the station where the alleged assault occurred.
As of Tuesday, however, Torres confirmed that no formal charges had been filed by the family against the two officers involved.
In the meantime, Police Major Christopher Castro, former head of the Tourist Police Unit, took over as the officer-in-charge of the station on Oct. 8, following an order from Central Visayas Police Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin to relieve the station commander and six other personnel.
Torres added that new officers have been assigned to the station but declined to disclose their names to protect their privacy. / DPC