Four detainees bolt Lapu cell

The few minutes that a policeman-jailer took to eat lugaw (porridge) at a stall beside the old Police Station 3 in Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City were all the four detainees needed to  escape from the station’s detention cell.

PO2 Jude Salazar, the duty jailer, returned from his break and found the  cell empty at 8:20 a.m.

The four detainees  were able to partly cut  and bend the  steel bars, creating enough space  to squeeze out.

“I only left to eat. I locked the cell but they cut the steel bars using a saw,” said PO2 Salazar in Cebuano.

He said  he didn’t know how the detainees got hold of a steel cutter.

Those who escaped were Junry Iran, 21, and Albert Torregoza, 24, who were detained for theft; Benjamin Aparri, who was accused of robbery extortion; and Christopher Cernal, 20,  the subject of a complaint for physical injury.

Salazar and his  superior, Insp. Donald Genisto were immediately relieved from their post for the security breach.

Lapu-Lapu City Police Chief Lyndon Lawas had them transferred to the holding  unit of the Lapu-Lapu police office.

After a hot pursuit operation,  police recaptured er Cernal in his house in  sitio Kinalumsan barangay Gun-ob while Torregoza was caught in his house in barangay Alegria, Cordova town.

The two other escapees  remain at large.

Torregoza said they just followed one inmate, Benjamin Aparri who had planned the escape.

“He was homesick,” said the recaptured detainee.

Cernal told police that he followed the others escape because he was afraid  he would be blamed for destroying the cell if he was left behind.

He said Iran kicked the steel bars to bend them Insp. Winston Penaranda was named the new police station chief.

“The jailer and the police chief must always inspect the detention cell facility as part of their job and to check on its status,” said Lawas.

He said an  investigation  would be made to determine if  the two were liable for  neglect of duty.

Mayor Paz Radaza  was informed about the escape.

She told Lawas to update her about the manhunt for the two detainees at large and the investigation of the two police officers.