Alleged robber hanged, shot dead in Talisay City

CEBU CITY –– A man believed to be a member of a group of robbers responsible for the spate of highway robberies was hanged and shot to death at a bridge in Barangay San Isidro, Talisay City Monday morning, July 22.

Reynante Otero was found suspended from the Mananga Bridge with a rope tied around his neck, and his face covered with a cloth.

The perpetrators used his belt to tie his hands on his back.

The 41-year-old man, a resident of Barangay San Isidro, also suffered bullet wounds in the different parts of the body.

A piece of cardboard was attached to his body with the words “Ayaw ko ninyo sunda. Tulisan ko. (Do not imitate me. I am a robber).”

Police Capt. Nazareno Emia, deputy chief of the Talisay City Police Station, said the man had been jailed several times due to robbery and illegal possession of firearms cases.

Otero was also reportedly involved in the series of highway robberies in the barangay.

“He has been in and out of prison,” Emia said.

Residents said they heard bursts of gunfire around 3 a.m. on Monday.

Emia said it was possible that the man was shot from where he was hanged since spent shells of an undetermined gun were found in the bridge.

Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas has instructed the city police chief, Police Maj. Orlando Carag, to conduct a thorough investigation of the crime.

“I hope they will solve the matter and if possible, identify the culprits and put them behind bars,” he said. /lzb