Man accused of raping 22-year-old neighbor

A 22-year-old woman was reported to have been raped by her neighbor while she was alone in her grandparents’ house in sitio Tabunok in barangay Tapilon, Daanbantayan Friday evening.

A report submitted to the Cebu Provincial Police Office said that while the victim was alone in the house, the suspect, identified as Kevin Punay, arrived and began singing in a videoke owned by the victim’s grandparents.

Sensing that the victim was alone, the suspect, of legal age, allegedly dragged the victim to an uninhabited house nearby. The report added that he then threatened to kill the victim, who was struggling for her freedom, and succeeded in raping her.

Following the incident, Diomedes Conson, a barangay tanod of Tapilon, informed the Daanbantayan policemen that the suspect was found by his relatives in a dark place bloodied with a stab wound in his abdomen.

Responding policemen then brought the suspect to the Daanbantayan District Hospital. During interrogation, the suspect alleged that he was stabbed by a certain Eddie, a resident of barangay Lanao.

However, SPO1 Cesar Alburo, an investigator of Daanbantayan Police Station, said they are still conducting further investigation to see if the suspect was telling the truth.

Alburo said they believed that the suspect was just inventing stories and might have stabbed himself for fear of being detained.

Alburo said the suspect was transferred to the Severo Verallo District Hospital in Bogo City and is now being guarded to ensure he will not escape.

He added that a rape case was already prepared against the suspect. — Flor Z. Perolina/LPM