One dead, another injured in two separate robberies

CRIME knows no gender, and two women had fallen prey as they were sleeping.

A woman was killed while another was wounded in two separate suspected robberies in Cebu City and Barili town on Sunday.

The first incident happened in the morning when a 54-year-old widow was found dead inside her house in Sitio Caimito Sta. Ana in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.

The body of Lucia Albios was found by her son sprawled on a folding bed inside her house with several stab wounds at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, said PO2 Francel Buling of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Homicide Section.

“Ara g’yud daw na siya (Albios) matulog. Magbantay sa ilahang balay nga gi-construct pa (That is the area where she would sleep. It is there where she would monitor the work done on her house, which is still under construction),” Buling said, quoting the victim’s son.

Police said they were looking into robbery as the motive of the killing especially since some of the belongings of the victim, including her bag, were ransacked by the assailant.

The son also told police that last Saturday, his mother withdrew at least P20,000 from the bank for the salary of the construction laborers working on their house.

Police had yet to find out what were taken from the victim’s house.

Councilor David Tumulak, deputy mayor for police matters, who arrived in the area, appealed to persons who would have any knowledge of the crime to come out and help the police solve the widow’s killing.

Later at about 4 p.m. in Barili town southwest Cebu, a woman was wounded by three armed men.

Aireen Aracia, a househelper, was rushed to the hospital after police found her in shock inside her house after they responded to a report of an alleged hostage-taking incident in Barangay Poblacion on Sunday afternoon.

Barili police chief Senior Inspector Jose Angelo Acupinpin said that the victim, who was sleeping in her room, was surprised to be awakened by three men wearing bonnets.

“Gitabunan iyang baba og mata. Gipangutana siya asa ang kwarta atong balay. Mentras gipangutana siya, gisamaran iyang bukton og tiyan (They covered her eyes and asked her where the cash in the house was. While questioning her, they slashed her arms and stomach),” Acupinpin told Cebu Daily News.

Acupinpin, however, said police had yet to ascertain whether the assailants used a piece of glass or a knife to wound the victim.

Acupinpin also clarified that there was no hostage-taking that took place because when police arrived at the scene, the three armed men had already left the house.

“This case is a sort of robbery,” he added.

As of this writing, Barili police were still trying to gather details as to who owned the house, what were taken from it and if the suspects were able to take any money from the victim, who is still being treated at the town hospital.