Snatchers pounce on San Miguel texter

Make sure you're safe before texting on your mobile phone. Take this advice from a victim of a snatching incident last week in San Miguel town. The victim was identified as one Jenies Libaton, 25, single and a resident of Barangay Santo Niño, San Miguel town.

The incident happened about 8 pm last Nov. 15. According to PO2 Gerry Amang of the Dagohoy PNP, the incident took place near the town's public market. Libaton told Station DyTR that the victim went to the town proper because he received a message from a textmate that she wanted to meet with him personally.

The “eyeball” meeting however never took place. While the victim was texting on his phone while waiting for his textmate, three men approached him and asked him to deliver them to Barangay Malitbog.

The victim declined the request because he was not a habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) driver and because he was still waiting for his textmate. One of the three men however took out a batangas (fan knife) and aimed it at him. Another suspect punched the victim while the third snatched his cellular phone and grabbed his wallet containing P140.

The three quickly disappeared after the incident. Elements of the Dagohoy PNP who responded to the victim's request for assistance tried but failed to establish contact with the victim's textmate who did not show up. Investigators are still trying to determine if the textmate's failure to appear at the appointed meeting was related to the hold-up

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