Businessmen warned of presence of robbers

CEBU, Philippines - The police have warned the members of the Cebu Bankers Club to be on guard after two of the suspected robbery gang members from Negros Oriental fled to Cebu after robbing a prominent jewelry pawnshop in Dumaguete City.

Regional Intelligence Division chief Melvin Ramon Buenafe issued the warning to the business community during a meeting with the Cebu Bankers Club last week.

Buenafe said that Andres Dagohoy the alleged mastermind in the broad daylight robbery of Agencia Belen in Dumaguete City last Saturday has fled to Toledo City. A hot pursuit operation was conducted by the members of the Dumaguete City police but failed to locate Dagohoy in Toledo.

Two of his alleged members however were arrested during the police operations in Negros Oriental.

Roy Cupat, 29, driver of the get-away motorcycle and resident of Barangay Mangnao, Dumaguete City and Jessie Bareñan, a “habal-habal” driver of Tudela, Misamis Occidental, were arrested during the hot pursuit operation.

Buenafe yesterday said that the group of Dagohoy agreed to meet in Toledo City after their operation in Dumaguete.

According to Buenafe, Dagohoy and one other gang member could still be in Cebu and might be waiting for another chance to pull off another heist.

He however said that they have already alerted the policemen in the southern part of the province. These suspects are believed to be members of a new robbery syndicate based in Ozamis City.

Buenafe however could not say whether the group is considered big-time, but what he is sure of is that, this group has the network.

 “Lumalabas na maganda ang network nila,” he said.

The police official said that one strategy of this group to avoid being detected easily is to recruit local boys and would not introduce their names to each other. (THE FREEMAN)