Robbery-slay of accountant solved; one arrested, manhunt now on vs 3 others

Archie Q. Ando (right), one of the suspects in the robbery-slay of Viscon Construction accountant Jennelyn Aquino, is handcuffed after he was presented to Police Regional Director Noli Taliño by Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City Police director. Ando works as a security guard of the Nextgen Security Agency, which has guards deployed at the Viscon Construction..
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

POLICE arrested a security guard tagged as one of the four suspects who allegedly robbed and killed a 25-year-old accountant near a construction site at the South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City last Saturday.

With the arrest of Archie Ando of Nextgen Security Agency and the identification of the three other suspects, the robbery-slay case is considered solved, said Senior Supt. Joel Doria, director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

Ando was arrested at his place of work at MEPZ 3 in Lapu-Lapu City past 10 a.m. yesterday.

“We are still conducting follow-up operations to arrest the three other suspects, including the gunman,” said Doria.

“We commend the CCPO for immediately solving the case,” said Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7).

Ando, 36, admitted he being the driver of the motorcycle used as a get-away vehicle in the killing of Jennelyn Aquino, an accountant of Viscon Construction.

Ando identified his stepson Guillo Salinas Estudillo as the one who shot Aquino, who succumbed to gunshot wounds in the head and body.
The two other suspects were identified only as Quidet and Moreno.

Police were able to trace Ando after someone, who was near the crime scene, was able to jot down the get-away vehicle’s plate number.
Ando was also identified by the driver of the vehicle that the victim rode during the incident.

“He did not wear the helmet properly that’s why I was able to see his face,” said the driver, who asked not be named for security reasons.
Ando told reporters that it was his younger brother Ariel who planned the robbery although he was not with the group during the commission of the crime.

According to Ando, Ariel worked as an inspector of Nextgen Security Agency.

Bolstering the police’s theory that the case was an inside job, Nextgen’s personnel are deployed at Viscon’s ongoing construction of a recreation park at SRP.

“It was possible that the victim knew the culprits that’s why she was shot,” said Doria.

Ando said they came from a drinking session before the robbery.

“I want to ask forgiveness from the victim’s family,” said Ando in Cebuano.

After tracing the motorcycle’s plate number to Ando, police rushed to his house in Barangay Lawaan 3, Talisay City.

Ando was not around but Estudillo, who was inside, noticed the arrival of the police and fled.

Police recovered a .45 caliber pistol and a KG-9 machine pistol from the house.

“An empty shell for a .45 caliber pistol was recovered in the crime scene. We will conduct an examination to determine if the empty shell matches the seized pistol,” Doria said.

From Talisay City, police went to Lapu-Lapu City and arrested Ando at his workplace.

The get-away motorcycle was recovered after Ando’s arrest.

“There was an attempt to cover up the crime as Ando had gone to the Land Transportation Office to apply for another plate number. He claimed that he lost the original plate number,” Doria said.

Two pairs of branded shoes worth at least P8,000 were also seized from the house.

Police said they will investigate further to determine if the suspects, who are all from Ozamiz City, belong to a robbery group.