Friday, December 5, 2008

Bus rider robbed, shot dead in Agusan

BEN SERRANO
Contributing editor

BUTUAN CITY—A 25 year old man from Purok MIlagrosa, Tampakan, South Cotabato was found dead, bathed with his own pool of blood inside passenger bus in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte after three unidentified robbers shot him dead using a .45 cal pistol yesterday noon, the police said.

Police Inspector Leo Cabulao, Chief of Police of Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte identified the victim as Rodney Cabrera Ibay, 25, a resident of Purok MIlagrosa, Tampakan, South Cotabato.

Cabulao said the victim boarded the passenger bus owned by Bachelor Bus Company bearing body number 3651 in Tubod town in Surigao del Norte on the way here to Butuan City. Ibay was allegedly heading home to South Cotabato. He must first pass Butuan City and will take another bus to Davao City before reaching South Cotabato.

A suspect was allegedly tailing him from the moment he stepped in to the bus, initial police investigation revealed.

Two other suspected robbers also boarded the bus at the Intersection Road in Barangay Magpayang, Tubod, Surigao del Norte

Upon reaching mountainous area called Little Baguio in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte, the suspects allegedly held up the victim infront of the stunned other passengers and forcibly took away the victim’s bag containing money of P60,000.00.

The money was reportedly the victim’s earnings of his rice farming in Tubod.

One of the suspects also armed with .45 cal pistol signaled his companions to also rob other passengers and the bus conductor but one of the suspect allegedly ordered the bus driver to stop then ordered his two other companions to disembark from the bus.

Police eyed robbery as the motive behind the killing.