Manhunt continues for escaped drug suspect in Tagbilaran

Residents look at a photo of Ronel Mahumot who escaped from the Tagbilaran City Police Station jail on Saturday, June 30, 2018. Two other escapees: Sergio Tahadlangit III and Sergio Bongo, have been rearrested. INQUIRER VISAYAS / LEO UDTOHAN

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol – The police are on the hunt for a detainee who bolted from the Tagbilaran City Police Station jail last Saturday.

Photos of Ronel Mahumot, who was facing illegal drugs charges, has been posted all over the city, said Supt. Patricio Degay Jr, Tagbilaran police chief.

Degay also urged the public to immediately call the police once they saw Mahumot.

Mahumot was one of the three detainees who escaped about 3 a.m. on Saturday.

The two other detainees, Sergio Tahadlangit III and Sergio Bongo, were recaptured separately a few hours later Saturday.

Degay said the three took advantage of a power interruption early Saturday.

A detainee complained of difficulty of breathing due to asthma prompting the police on duty, PO3 Julio Vallejos, to transfer him to another room.

Vallejos forgot to close the cell’s gate which allowed Tahadlangit, Bongo and Mahumot to sneak out.

Tahadlangit was cornered in his house on Calceta Street in Barangay Cogon, past 4 p.m. or about 13 hours after they escaped.

An hour later, Bongo was captured in Barangay Manga, Tagbilaran, after his whereabouts was traced by a tracker team based on a tip of a citizen.

On Monday, Vallejos was relieved by the Bohol Provincial Police Office pending an investigation into the incident.

Degay said they already beefed up security at the station. “The station has taken steps to tighten security,” he said.

All three escapees were facing drug charges. But of the three, only Tahadlangit figured in the news lately following the killing of a policeman in a shootout with law enforcers.

Tahadlangit was allegedly the drug peddler whom SPO1 Adonis Dumpit wanted to release from jail.

The escapee was arrested for illegal drugs on May 25 in Barangay Manga. Dumpit allegedly asked the arresting officer to reduce the suspect’s case to possession of illegal drugs from peddling to allow Tahadlangit to post bail.

The policemen refused.

On June 27, Dumpit was killed in a joint operation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Bohol and the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) in Tagbilaran City, Bohol on June 27.

NBI said that Dumpit was about to deliver some “stocks” when he was killed in a supposed encounter with authorities at 8:15 a.m. along Dagohoy Circumferential Road in Barangay San Isidro, Tagbilaran City.

According to the NBI, Dumpit was a high-level drug pusher and protector. /cbb