A 30-YEAR-OLD robbery suspect was turned over to the police after he was apprehended by his own victim around 1 a.m. on Monday, April 1, 2024, in Barangay Pooc, Talisay City, Cebu.
The suspect was identified as Jerome Bolo Cayanong, also known as "Bloods," who has a live-in partner, of Purok Rainbowville, Barangay Biasong of the aforementioned city.
John Mar Abatayo Tejoc, a 23-year-old single man from Purok Matinabangon, Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City, claimed that on Easter Sunday, he went swimming with his friends until Monday dawn, when they decided to go home.
But when he opened the u-box of his motorcycle that he parked in a dimly lit area, he discovered that the bag he had put inside was already hanging from the bike’s steering wheel and that its contents had vanished.
He then informed his friends, who assisted him in searching for the missing items with the aid of a flashlight.
When they asked the suspect, who they had located using the flashlight's beams, if he knew anything about the incident, he denied it, claiming that he was working as the resort's caretaker.
However, given that the suspect was acting strangely and had twice moved back and forth towards the shoreline, they doubted that he was only fabricating an alibi.
"Klaro man kaayong namakak dili katarong sa pagtubag sa pangutana! Unya mi-offer siya nga tultulan tamo asa gilubong ang mga butang nga kinawat ayaw ko dalha sa barangay," Tejoc said.
(It's obvious that he lied because he was unable to provide a direct response to the question. Then he offered to show us where the items that had been taken were hidden, but he requested that we not take him to the barangay).
The suspect led them to the beach's sand where the stolen items were hidden and then quickly ran away.
The victim and his friends pursued Cayanong until they arrived at the corner of Barangay Pooc, where the suspect was apprehended.
The suspect was turned over to the Talisay City Police Station with the help of barangay tanods.
Cayanong apologized to the victim, but the latter refused, saying that he would file charges against him in order to teach him a lesson and stop him from hurting other people.
The stolen items were recovered by the police, including a watch worth P1,500, power bank valued at P800, cellphone charger worth P500, a P400 jersey, a P350 flashlight, a P600 bicycle flashlight, a small bag worth P500 and a wallet containing identification cards and an ATM card.
SunStar Cebu tried to get the side of the suspect regarding the issue but he refused to speak. (GPL, TPT)