Man jumps into shallow river to escape police, dies

A MAN died after he jumped into a river to escape policemen who surprised him and three other men having a pot session in barangay Danlag, Consolacion town, northern Cebu.

The fatality was identified as Arman Caburnay of barangay Cansaga, Consolacion.

Caburnay’s companions Pascual Talisik, 31, of barangay San Vicente, Liloan; Butch Vegamora, 28, of barangay Catarman, Liloan; and Ramil Licanda, 27, of barangay Valencia, Alegria town, were arrested by police.

Senior Insp. Wilbert Parilla, chief of the Consolacion police, said he and two other policemen rushed to barangay Danlag after they received a tip that a group of men were sniffing shabu in a riverbank last Thursday afternoon.

Parilla said the four men scampered after seeing them. Three were cornered. Caburnay ran and jumped to a knee-deep portion of a river.

Parilla said the man was already unconscious when he was able to grab him.

Caburnay was brought to the Eversley Hospital in barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City, but attending physicians declared him dead.

Parilla said the body will be autopsied to determine the cause of death.

Police said Talisik and Licanda each yielded small plastic packs of suspected shabu, while three pieces of tinfoil were seized from Licanda.

An improvised tooter was recovered from Vegamora.

The three men were detained at the Consolacion police station while waiting for charges to be filed against them, said police./CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA