Robbery suspects nabbed 24 hours after incident

CEBU, Philippines — The suspects in the robbery of a head guard who was bringing payroll money last Tuesday were nabbed just a day after the incident.

Last Tuesday, Edwin Velos, the head guard of Sarsalejo Security Agency, was robbed and shot during the incident.

When the suspects were about to flee, an unidentified person shot them.  The suspects carted away P300,000 that was supposed to be for the salary of the guards under Velos.

Former police corporal Jobie Antipolo, who allegedly went on AWOL and who was allegedly one of the suspects, was killed.

The police had already said that the robbery incident was an “inside job” since a former guard of the Sarsalejo Security Agency was the mastermind in the crime.

Nabbed during a hot-pursuit operation were Mark Ungaria Vergara, 28, a former guard of Sarsalejo Security Agency and a graduating Criminology student; and Rico Acosta, 38, an intelligence officer in one of the malls in Cebu and a resident of San Vicente, Liloan.

Pepe Arila Acosta, 48, Rico’s uncle, a habalhabal driver and a resident of Barangay Maglasang, Consolacion, turned himself in to the police.  He was the one who kept the cash.

Labangon Police Station Investigator Police Staff Sergeant John Eric Samosa said the Acostas stood as the lookout.

Aside from the text messages retrieved from the mobile phone of Antipolo, the victim allegedly also saw Vergara during the incident.

The police arrested Vergara in his residence last Wednesday dawn.  Vergara reportedly pointed to Rico as one of their accomplice.

The police also recovered the license and other documents of Pepe inside the u-box of the motorcycle that was left in the crime scene that Antipolo was driving.

The investigator said these documents are strong pieces of evidence to link Pepe to the crime.

When the police operatives got hold of Pepe’s number, they asked him to surrender.

From the P300,000 that the robbers had taken during the robbery incident, only about P192,000 was returned.

Samosa said all the suspects have already admitted to the crime.  They, however, denied the crime during the media interviews.

Pepe said that Vergara and Antipolo rented his motorcycle who told him that they would just get a fighting cock.

“Dili na tinuod Sir oy.  Ang akoa ana Sir igo ra kong gitextan nila nga makigkita kay ilang abangan ang akong motor, nagkita mi sa may V. Rama nagka-estorya mi atong Antipolo kay iyang huwaman akong motor kay kuhaon niya ang manok kay mangadto daw sila og bulangan,” Pepe said.

He said that Vergara just left, leaving the bag containing the cash.

He admitted though that he used about P15,000 for grocery.

Vergara, who was tagged as the mastermind, denied the accusations against him.

He said that he was in school at the time of the incident.  He added that he has strong evidence to prove he was at school.

He admitted though that he knows Antipolo because they are neighbors in Barili, Cebu. — GAN (FREEMAN)