Police Files

YACHT CATCHES FIRE

A YACHT which just arrived from Singapore caught fire while docked at the Cebu Yacht Club in Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City.

About 80 percent of the vessel was damaged, according to the  fire department which received the alarm at 6:20 a.m. yesterday.

The M/Y Spirit Freedom is  owned by Michelle Merchant, a French national who is an executive of an electronics company at the Mactan Export Processing Zone.

Although the fire was not that big, it took almost 30 minutes to douse it.

The yacht was made of fiberglass and the smoke hurt the firefighters’ eyes, said FO2 Climaco Salisid.

FO3 Primitivo Equito said that according to Junrey Manghihilot, the on board deck head in-charge, the fire started in the engine room starboard side of the yacht.

An electrical short circuit may have caused the fire.

Manghihilot tried to use a fire extinguisher but the flames got out of control.

Private  yachts docked at Cebu Yacht Club range in value from $5 million to the most expensive vessel at $12 million, said a deck head in-charge./CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA

UNCLE MAULS, STABS NEPHEW

A MAN was arrested for allegedly mauling and stabbing his 13-year-old nephew whom he accused of burglarizing his Internet café in barangay Centro, Mandaue City.

Neil Heyrosa, 42, was arrested shortly after the beating.

Police said Heyrosa confronted his nephew after his Internet shop in sitio Tribunal was burglarized last Friday night.

The boy denied involvement in the theft.

Unconvinced, the uncle dragged the boy, mauled him and stabbed his left hand with a kitchen knife.

The boy reported the incident to his mother, who brought  him  to the hospital and then  complained to the police. /CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA

3 ARMED MEN NABBED

THREE men, including two brothers, were arrested after police found them carrying unlicensed firearms in barangay Casili, Consolacion town, northern Cebu.

Police said Ryan Doncillo, 22, his 43-year-old brother Roger, and Jose Batican, 24, were chased and eventually cornered by police after they avoided a checkpoint around 8 p.m. last Friday.

The three men’s companion identified as Jomar eluded arrest.

Police conducting a checkpoint saw the four men on board two motorcycles making U-turn after spotting the checkpoint.

Police gave  chase until the three men were cornered.

Recovered from Ryan was a .38 home-made revolver, while Roger yielded a .45 pistol. Recovered from Batican was a .357 revolver.

At the Consolacion police station, robbery victim Apple Vi Juntilla identified the three men as the ones who robbed her of P9,000 cash and a cellular phone while she was walking along a road in Danao City./CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA