Mauling incident: Torture, robbery complaint filed against 8 ‘Talamban cops’

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Eight police officers allegedly from the Talamban Police Station or Police Station 8 are facing a complaint of torture, robbery, grave threats, child abuse and serious physical injuries at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.

The complaint filed was in relation to the alleged mauling incident last April 18 of drug suspect Eddie Basillote inside a pinball shop in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City. The attack was caught in a security camera of the establishment.

Five persons, who were inside the shop when the incident happened, filed the complaint on Monday, April 29, against Roeven Carmelo Rota, Vernie Magdali, and Brendro Tudtud, whom the complainants accused of beating up Basillote.

Three other persons who were only known by their aliases “Tagalog,” “Lagunsad” and “Adalim” and two other John Does were also included as the respondents in the complaint.

Read more: Read more: CCPO to probe Talamban cops for ‘police brutality’ caught on video

According to the complainants, Noel Lucanas, Aldrin Nalzaro and three others, all the respondents are allegedly police officers of the Talamban Police Station.

They said in their affidavit that Lucanas and Nalzaro were customers, and were accompanied by Batalon and Eddie Basillote when the supposed raid happened.

They claimed that six armed men barged in and allegedly charged at Basillote, Lucanas and Nalzaro.

The armed men then allegedly mauled Basillote.

The alleged mauling was caught in the security camera of the establishment and the footage of the attack had been posted on Facebook and went viral.

Read more: Garma ups Tom’s offer: P200K for credible witness in ‘police brutality’ claims

Aside from that, it had also sparked a word war between Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Cebu City Police Office Chief, Colonel Royina Garma when the mayor in his Facebook page offered a P100,000 for those who could name the alleged police officers, who allegedly mauled Basillote.

Garma ordered an investigation on the incident and has reassigned the police officers involved in the Carreta operation while investigation was ongoing.

She also offered P200,000 for anyone who can come forward and give credible proof of the alleged attack, topping Osmeña’s offer.

Read more: Mauling incident: CCPO to investigate names on Osmeña’s list

Aside from that she also criticized Osmeña for posting names of police officers allegedly involved in the mauling incident on his Facebook page.

Garma said that those involved in the mauling incident had not been positively identified and that the attackers were not in uniform so there’s a possibility that they were not police officers.

Read more: Osmeña to Garma: Submit names of police involved in mauling incident

Osmeña, also asked Garma in a memo that the police should produce the names of the police officers allegedly involved in the mauling incident.

Meanwhile, the accusation of robbery allegedly stemmed from one of the respondents allegedly took the P750 cash from Nalzaro’s pocket during the incident.

Read more: Alleged threat from CCPO chief claimed; Garma to suspect’s ‘wife’: Prove it

The complaint was filed a day after Basillote’s common law wife held a press conference and claimed that Garma allegedly threatened Basillote and his family.

Two conditions were allegedly cited by Garma, for Basillote’s wife to delete the footage of the attack and for them not to allegedly file any case against the police officers.

Read more: Garma to file cyber libel case against Basillote’s common law wife 

Garma, for her part, dared Basillote’s “wife” to show proof since this was a serious allegation against her (Garma).

Garma has considered filing a cyberlibel case against Basillote’s common law wife because of her allegations./dbs