The Dumaguete police Monday captured two suspects in Saturday’s daring daytime holdup of a pawnshop in Dumaguete.{{more}}
Police Superintendent Leopoldo Cabanag, Dumaguete police chief, presented the two suspects before Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and the local media at the City Hall Monday.
The two suspects, Roy Ramintos Cupat, 29, and Jesse Tabamo Barinan, 42, both of Tudela, Misamis Occidental, were seized within hours of the Agencia Belen heist in separate locations.
Cupat was arrested Saturday at 6 p.m. in barangay Mangnao Dumaguete City, and this led to the arrest of Barinan at 2:30 a.m. in San Carlos City.
Two others are still at large and are believed to be in Cebu, police said.
The robbers staged a lightning heist as soon as the pawnshop opened at 8 a.m. Saturday, with one suspect reportedly armed with a .45 caliber pistol announcing the holdup and telling everyone to lie on the floor. Another suspect then used a hammer to break the glass shelves of the pawnshop containing jewelry and in less than five minutes, the suspects fled with an estimated P400,000 worth of pawned items.
However, one of the suspects left behind his cellular phone at the scene of the crime. As the robbers had dispersed and had no way of knowing that their companion’s cellphone was missing, Cupat sent a text message asking to be rescued at his hideout. The text message went straight to the Dumaguete police, who effected the arrest. Cupat then squealed on his companion’s location, sending police to San Carlos to effect Barinan’s arrest.
Dumaguete Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria, who had given financial assistance to enable the police to pursue the robbers to as far as San Carlos City and Cebu, lauded the police for a job well done. Sagarbarria also thanked Rep. George Arnaiz for lending a vehicle in the pursuit operations.
For his part, Cabanag lauded the participation of the community and asked for the public’s continued cooperation in solving other crimes in the City.
The two suspects, however, professed their innocence of the charges.
Jesse Tabamo Barinan, 42, and Roy Ramintos Cupat, 29, both of Tudela, Misamis Occidental, are presented by Dumaguete Policemen to Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and the Dumaguete media last Monday. (Mayor’s Office photo)
Police Supt. Leopoldo Cabanag (right) Dumaguete City police chief, presents Jesse Tabamo Barinan, 42, and Roy Ramintos Cupat, 29, both of Tudela, Misamis Occidental, who were arrested for their alleged participation in Saturday’s daring broad-daylight heist at the Agencia Belen pawnshop along Gov. Perdices St. (Mayor’s office photo)
