Latest robbery incident bags P245T; victim shot

YOU let your guards down, they hit you. And they hit you hard. The unaccounted member of a rob gang that hit foreigners in Lourdes Panglao a week ago popped anew, this time with more determination. And unlike an earlier strike that ended in a flop after suspects panicked when their victim faked a heart seizure, this time a bullet punched to the back of the victim was the coup de grace of sorts. While the earlier strike had the victims calling in the cops immediately after the incident, the suspects here pistol-whipped the victim hoping she'd pass out, snatched her cell phone and run for a good head start.

Dauis police identified the victim as 27 years old Fritzie T. Opeña, single and resident of Tabalong Dauis. Investigations revealed that the victim was in Tabalong, waiting for a ride that would take her to work in the city Thursday at about 7:30. Then three men who did not care to wear masks came to her, brandished their weapons and declared a hold-up. That same day, the victim, who works as a collector for Bohol Quality Glass was carrying collection money and still undetermined amount of personal cash.

The day before, the victim collected from clients in a town sortie some P254T. She did not remit the collections as when she arrived in Tagbilaran, it was already too late. When the hod-up gang sensed she was not easily giving up the money, a suspect pumped a live bullet to her back. While she was in the shock of the searing pain, the suspect pistol-whipped her on the nape, freeing her hold of money-bag. When it was over, the suspects fled on a red Honda XRM towards Panglao, leaving the victim dying.

Eyewitnesses said the driver, who was also the hitman was wearing a green helmet. They were reportedly spotted a few minutes later in a barangay in Panglao. The victim was rushed to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran where she immediately had a surgery to take off the slug from her stomach. Succeeding police crime scene operations recovered a .45 caliber magazine and an unspent shell.

Pinsp Joseph Villas of the Dauis police station said they are tracing a lead which points to the unaccounted Lourdes robbery suspect as one of those involved in the incident. Weeks age, a band of four attempted to stick up a couple of foreign nationals in Lourdes . But due to presence of mind, three of the suspects were caught back, while one was the object of police operations. “As to my information, the hitman and the motorcycle driver was one and the same guy who escaped from Lourdes ,” he told the Post in an interview. He immediately ordered police roadblocks to contain the suspects in Panglao island, while mobilizing the entire police force at his disposal to conduct follow up operations.

Meanwhile a certain PO2 Sotto revealed that Panglao station has also a lead in the suspects and refused to divulge information that may jeopardize the on-going operations. He believes the suspects could still be in the island as roadblocks have not seen them.

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