Police arrested two armed men who were allegedly about to rob a lending firm in barangay Basak, Mandaue City last Thursday afternoon.
The suspects were identified as Raymund Cejudo , 35, of barangay Maslog, Tabogon town, Cebu and Acheron Kirby Brassi ,32, of barangay Lorega, Cebu City.
Charges of illegal possession of firearms, possession of high explosives, and possession of illegal drugs were filed against the suspects at the Mandaue City Prosecutors’ Office yesterday .
Police are still looking for another suspect, Dexter Monterola of Tabogon town, Cebu.
Police said Monterola is a former worker of Gladiola Lending Corp., the firm that the suspects allegedly tried to rob.
Supt. Josefino Ligan, chief of the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) of the Mandaue City Police Office said, the suspect tried to get back at the lending firm’s owner for firing him.
The owner also filed qualified theft charges against Monterola, Ligan said.
Ligan added that he and his men rushed to the lending firm after the management alerted them that a group of armed men were outside their establishment.
When they arrived, Ligan said they noticed a man wearing camouflage short pants with a gun tucked in his waist.
Police approached the man, who was later identified as Cejudo, and asked if he was a police officer.
Instead of answering, the man tried to run away but was chased and cornered by police.
Police said a .357 revolver loaded with four bullets and six packs of suspected shabu were recovered from Cejudo’s possession.
Ligan said while they were frisking Cejudo, they also spotted two men who were about to leave the place.
Police chased the two men and arrested Brassi, who yielded a grenade, a .45 caliber pistol and four packs of suspected shabu.
Police said Monterola was able to flee.
While escaping, Monterola threw a .38 revolver with three bullets to the ground, police said.
Ligan said Cejudo and Brassi were arrested in Bogo in 2011 for robbery and drug charges.
Ligan added that Brassi is a known member of a gun-for-hire group operating in northern Cebu./CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA