Police arrested a middle-aged scavenger accused of molesting an eight-year-old girl in Barangay Lawaan 1, Talisay City at 6 pm Wednesday, Aug. 22.
PO1 Janeth Marquez of the Talisay police Women and Children’s Protection Desk identified the 54-year-old suspect as Enriquito Catalan, a resident of the area.
Marquez said a female witness reported to them that Catalan was molesting the girl in a grassy area. The suspect was caught with the help of city residents and is detained at the city police precinct pending the filing of charges against him.
Marquez said they suspect that Catalan is mentally ill due to the way he answered their questions. He said Catalan claimed that he didn’t molest the child since the child offered to have sex with him.
“We will ask the victim’s family to file a case in court and it is up to the Judge to decide either the suspect has to be admitted to a mental facility or not,” Marquez said.
Marquez said the victim was brought to the Pink Room of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for medical examination. The results will be used for the case against Catalan.