Accomplice of 2 slain highway robbers caught

The police have arrested the man tagged as the accomplice of two suspected robbers who were shot dead by responding policemen of the Mobile Patrol Group in barangay Mambaling last Sunday evening.

Redentor Omacub, 26, a shellcraft worker of Alaska-Mambaling, Cebu City, is allegedly a neighbor of the two dead suspects, Edmer Roman and Dominic Degamo.

The two reportedly shot it out with responding policemen PO1s, Edcel Petecio, Meonic Cabañero and Richard Condes who chased the three of them after they got off a jeepney along C. Padilla Street infront of the old Jai-alai fronton of the said barangay. Roman and Degamo were eventually shot while Omacub escaped.

Police later recovered a knife from Degamo and a .38 cal. revolver with three live bullets and three empty shells from Roman. The two were positively identified as the one who robbed passenger victims, Jurryvie Caragon, 18, Maria Agnes Relles, 31 and Maria Omandac, 41.

More than fifty policemen from the city police led by Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch head, Supt. Pablo Labra II cordoned off sitio Lawis of Alaska-Mambaling after receiving information of Omacub's presence.

Police was able to obtain a warrant of arrest against Omacub for frustrated murder issued by then RTC Branch 5 judge Ireneo Gako Jr. His bail was set at P100,000.

The live-in partner of Omacub, Ruby Alega, met the policemen first but the suspect reportedly noticed them and tried to escape by climbing to the roof of their house and jumped to their neighbor's roof to escape. Other policemen posted nearby saw him and cornered him inside one of the neighboring houses.

Labra said they already knew through intelligence reports that Omacub was the man they were after, but they failed to recover the loot Omacub allegedly fled with after his two partners in crime were shot dead.

Omacub has denied the accusations saying he was with his live-in partner when the robbery took place, although he admitted knowing the two dead suspects since they are all his neighbors he said he was not close to them.

He also denied trying to escape from the policemen claiming that he was asked by his live-in partner to get their clothes from the clothesline on the roof when the police arrived.

Controversial policeman SPO1 Adonis Dumpit, who was one of the raiders, said the suspect tried to dupe him by claiming he is not Omacub but Erwin Flores. But Omacub's neighbors told the police he really was Omacub. -Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP