A 36-year-old detainee facing drug charges removed his handcuffs and slipped past his two police guards while confined in a government hospital in Tuburan town, northwest Cebu.
On Friday morning it was discovered that Dindo Sato Naingue was no longer in his hospital bed at the Tuburan District Hospital.
Naingue was recuperating from a gunshot wound in the left arm. He was shot during a buy-bust operation last June 3. Police said they shot Naingue after he tried to lob a grenade at them.
Naingue’s right hand was handcuffed to the hospital bed in the ward.
His police guards, PO3 Jason Arnoco and PO1 Julius Edaño posted outside the ward didn’t notice him slip out. They will face an administrative investigation for the detainee’s escape, said PO3
Roberto Rondina, investigator of Tuburan Police Station, said
Naingue was still in bed around 4 a.m. when a nurse gave him medicine.
Police said a man visited Naingue the night before at around 10 p.m. and that it was possible that the visitor was able to sneak in a handcuff key for the detainee.
After removing his handcuffs, Naingue escaped using the back door of the ward, police said.