Wrong police info lets thief escape

Policemen quick to respond to the report of a suspected thief escaping in a taxi accosted the wrong people after stopping the wrong vehicle.

Earlier, meat vendor Prusa Bonghanoy of barangay Tulay, Minglanilla reported that a man she described as 5'4" tall, of medium build and with dark complexion pretended to buy several kilos of meat from her stall at the market.

SPO3 Remegio Elacion, Minglanilla desk officer said as Bonghanoy was preparing the order, the man left with the victim's bag and got into a waiting white taxi.

Elacion said the plate number was immediately flashed to the different police stations including the hotline number 166.

In C. Padilla Street, barangay Mambaling, barely 30 minutes after the alarm was flashed and roadblocks were called for in Naga, Talisay City and Cebu City, police managed to flag down a white taxi with plate number GWK-995, which was allegedly the plate number of the taxi used in the getaway.

For 15 minutes, the taxi driver and the two frightened passengers were interrogated only to learn from a radio information that the plate number of the taxi was GWK-195.

Other policemen admitted having met the taxi GWK 195 on the way to the intercepted taxi GWK 995.

The passengers of the taxi were students who were about to take their final examinations.

The taxi driver whom the responding cops also failed to identity, admitted he had a passenger from Minglanilla who got off in barangay Tangke, Talisay City. He was immediately released after hearing the apologies of the intercepting policemen.

The police are now tracing as to which side gave or heard the wrong plate number.

Elacion said they will coordinate further with the responding policemen from Cebu City in getting in touch again with the driver, not denying the possibility that it may still be the getaway vehicle.

Bonghanoy reportedly had P7,000 cash and around P300,000 worth of jewelry. Elacion could not tell why the said pieces of jewelry were with the victim in the market. -Ferliza C. Contratista