More robbery victims show up, claim items

A day after the arrest of Eduard Teves and Michael “Eric” Reyes, several victims of theft and robbery came forward to claim items recovered by police from the men’s possession.

Reyes, 29, and Teves, 28, sons of well-to-do businessmen, signed a waiver of detention yesterday and remained behind bars in the Cebu City Police Office.

The suspects were given 10 days to issue a counter-affidavit on the charges of robbery, illegal drug and firearms possession charges against them and to get a lawyer.

In the meantime, a lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office was assigned to them.

PO2 Erwin Piquero said parents of the suspects visited them yesterday.

Hazel Litsadores, a receptionist of Monarco’s Spa in Tres Borces Street, barangay Mabolo, went to the police station to claim her stolen bag.

She said the two suspects were customers who came in for a massage last Monday .

When they were finished, Litsadores said she was surprised to see her bag missing from the table at the reception area.

The employee went to the police station to confront them as soon as she heard about their arrest.

Reyes immediately promised to return her bag, which contained ID cards, a digital camera and other personal items.

An Australian national and his Filipina wife also showed up and claimed their black bag that was stolen from their hotel room while they were sleeping last Monday.

The door was unlocked, they said.

One of the stolen laptops belonged to car shop owner Richard Francisco Cupin, who claimed it last Tuesday.

Police arrested Teves and Reyes in connection with a series of thefts in hotels and pension houses in Cebu City where the perpetrators would check in as guests.

The two men were arrested in a hot-pursuit operation following Monday’s robbery of the Allure Hotel in AS Fortuna Street in Mandaue City where they checked into a P3,000-a-night suite.

They were accused of taking a large flat-screen TV with remote and cable box and checking out Tuesday morning.

The TV was later recovered from a buyer in barangay Lorega.

The two men were arrested by police in a restobar in barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City. Two other male companions are being tracked down.

The police said Teves and Reyes were unemployed. Taken from their possession were two .45 pistols and one .357 revolver.

Recovered from their Toyota Vios sedan were four sachets of a white substance suspected to be shabu, laptops, assorted cellular phones, passports, among others.

Police said they have been monitoring the activities of a group of young men from well-to-do families who have been preying on hotels and pension houses.