CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police in Alcantara town in southern Cebu arrested the suspect in the robbery of a gasoline station in the town’s Barangay Poblacion on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2022.
Police identified the suspect as Leonides Zamora, 50, a resident of Barangay Poblacion. He remains locked up at the detention facility of Alcantara Police Station, as of this posting, while police prepare for the filing of robbery and illegal possession of firearms complaints against him.
Police Captain Carlos Narca, officer-in-charge of Alcantara Police Station, said that at past 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 25, Zamora arrived at the gasoline station on board his motorcycle.
He was allegedly armed with a gun and allegedly used this, pointed this to the cashier, and took nearly P45, 000 cash.
After committing the crime, Narca said that the suspect immediately left the area.
The pump boy quickly reported the robbery to the police, who conducted a hot pursuit operation.
Aside from that, police also recovered the footage of a security camera from the area which showed the suspect wearing a green jacket at that time.
The suspect was also seen in the footage not wearing a mask when he robbed the gasoline station.
For his part, Police Chief Master Sergeant Dionisio Tagupa, desk officer of the Alcantara Police Station, said that the pump boy positively identified the suspect.
“Nakaila siya [pump boy] kay dira ra ni [suspect] iyang residence. Na ra siya sa area gyud,” Tagupa said.
(The pump boy knew him [the suspect] because his residence is only in the area. He is really from there.)
“Diha ra pod ang pump boy that time. Wala ra sya [suspect] nagmask, nagkalo ra. Iya pod gihadlok ang pump boy ug cashier,” he added.
(The pump boy was there at that time. He [the suspect] was not wearing a mask, he only wore a hat. He also threatened the pump boy and cashier.)
On Sunday evening, police arrested the suspect and recovered the stolen money inside his house.
Aside from that, police also confiscated six loose firearms found inside the suspect’s house, and these included a 9 mm pistol and .438 caliber revolver.
The followup opertion was in coordination with the personnel of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company.
Tagupa said that the investigator was interrogating the suspect to find out where he got his loose firearms.
However, he said the suspect continued to be uncooperative and had not revealed where he got his guns.
Tagupa also said that the suspect also had no previous records in the police station and they only learned about him doing this illegal activity when he was caught on the security camera as the one who robbed the gasoline station.
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