Suspect in P1.8M heist nabbed

The suspect in Saturday’s P1.8 million robbery of a trader in barangay Inayawan, Cebu City was arrested after he tried to evade a checkpoint and invaded a boarding house in barangay Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City yesterday dawn.

Zandy Kho, 32, of barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City was cornered in the room of a tenant, Raquel Cabaluna, 22, who was briefly taken hostage.

Insp. Ronnie Acar of Marigondon Police said he and his team together with Task Force Motorsiklo were conducting a checkpoint in barangay Agus when they saw a red motorcycle with three passengers.

Upon seeing the checkpoint, the motorbike suddenly turned back. A chase ensued.

One passenger fired at them but missed.

After a ten-minute chase, the motorcycle crashed to the ground and passengers ran to a residential area in barangay Maribago.

Police asked for backup from the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) but were unable to find the three suspects.

About 30 minutes later, police received a hostage-taking alarm.

Two of the motorcycle’s passengers had broken into a rented room.

The female tenant said the intruders told her to turn off the light and not make any noise.

When they noticed the presence of the police, one of the men ordered the woman to go outside with him and pretend they were a couple.

The hostage complied with his demand.

Once they were outside, the man left her, giving her a chance to seek help from barangay tanods and send word to her landlord, Dante Wagwag to check the room.

He found Kho inside.

Kho tried to escape but Wagwag immediately called Leonito Singson, the chief of barangay tanods and after a brief chase, they cornered him a few meters from the barangay hall.

Kho was turned over to the Marigondon Police Station.

Police recovered from the rented room a bag containing a KG9 firearm, two magazines, a .45 caliber firearm and t-shirts.

Kho’s companion who was identified as Ariel Moralde was able to escape.

Chief Insp. Condrado Manatad of Marigondon Police brought Kho to the Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office yesterday morning after he was identified as the one who earlier robbed Wella Rosal, a dressed chicken dealer who lost P1.8 million.

The motorcycle used by Kho and his companions turned out to be a stolen vehicle.

Its owner, Richard Polgadas went to the Mactan Police Station and identified the motorcycle as his.

He said the motorbike was parked near the Mactan Export Zone in barangay Basak when it was stolen./Correspondents Norman V. Mendoza and Fe Marie D. Dumaboc