Helper tagged in junk shop rape-slay surrenders

MANILA, Philippines - With nowhere else to go and his family refusing to give him sanctuary, a man accused of raping and killing his female co-worker in Quezon City has surrendered himself to authorities in Bulacan.

Rodel Alindahao, a stay-in helper at a junk shop on Banlat Road, Barangay Pasong Tamo, surrendered Friday night to village officials in his hometown in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Alindahao was then turned over to the police and is currently detained at the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU), according to Police Officer 3 Gregorio Maramag.

The suspect was earlier tagged in the rape-slay of Cristia Masbano, 33, who was also a stay-in worker at the junkshop. The woman was found lifeless and naked inside her quarters at the shop at around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, her skull smashed.

Maramag said five male workers, including Alindahao, of the shop were taken in for questioning and that Alindahao became the main suspect when he suddenly disappeared from the CIDU office before any samples could be taken from him.

Maramag said the police have been chasing Alindahao since Thursday afternoon and found out that the suspect fled to Nazagaray, Bulacan. But the police managed to meet the suspect’s family and relatives and asked for help to corner the suspect.

The suspect eventually decided to surrender himself since he no longer had anyone to turn to after none of his family or relatives would take him in, police said.