Kuratong Baleleng members in Cebu?

CEBU, Philippines - Three members of the notorious Kuratong Baleleng robbery group have reportedly been spotted in Cebu City.

Chief Insp. Bonifacio Garciano, chief of the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) of the city police office, said the three were spotted in the southern part of the city.

Cebu City Police Office Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe said they are currently subjecting the report to rigorious verification.

“So far, negative pa ta. Anyway, we encourage the public to report any presence of criminal and wanted element so that the police can act on it immediately,” he said, assuring that the city police is doing everything to maintain peace and order in the city. 

The police said they are eyeing the possibility that the three men spotted are the inmates of the Bohol District Jail who escaped last week.

The three, identified as Mario Llaya, Bryan Ceniza, and Exequil Aniscal, escaped by disarming several jail officers. They fled using a motorcycle-for-hire.

Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto has ordered a manhunt for the three fugitives by calling law enforcement agencies to take part in the search. He said each unit should utilize all possible means to recapture the three who were described to be armed.

The governor also urged the public to help by reporting suspicious individuals or knowledge about the three men to the police.

Buenafe emphasized that the city police office is always ready for possible intrusion of criminal groups.

In fact, he said, the recent success of the CCPO Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) in the recent shootfest sponsored by the Police Regional Office 7 is a sign that CCPO is a force to reckon with.

September last year, three members of the Mindanao- based robbery group were killed in a botched heist inside a mall at uptown Cebu. (FREEMAN)