Police kills inmate tagged as leader of robbery hold-up gang
Arrests two other inmates
POLICE shot dead a prisoner tagged as leader of a dreaded robbery hold up group and arrested two other inmates of the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC) after they held up a tricycle driver. The three inmates bolted out of the reformatory center early dawn Sunday.
Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director Sr. Supt. Renato Gumban identified the fatality as Roger Palma of Dalid, Calinog. He suffered gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body. He is facing eight criminal cases which include robbery hold up, homicide and illegal possession of firearms.
Palma’s two other companions Renante Dago, 27 of Pararingan, Janiuay and Freddie Gonzalez, 34 of the town of Bingawan were arrested by police hours after they escaped.
In an interview over Bombo Radyo, Gumban said Palma and his companions escaped from the IRC in Barangay Nanga, Pototan at about 4:30 a.m. of Jan. 3. The trio escaped the rehabilitation center by cutting the iron grills of the detention cell’s window.
After they managed to get out of the detention cell, the three inmates held up the driver and commandeered the tricycle. Luckily, the tricycle driver was able to ask police assistance.
The responding policemen immediately arrested Dago and Gonzalez before they could leave the town of Pototan.
Palma, on the other hand engaged in a chase with the pursuing police operatives until they reached the nearby town of Mina. He was spotted by the police authorities hiding in a grassy portion of Barangay Nasirom, said Gumban.
Gumban said police shot Palma after he tried to lob a grenade to the arresting police team. He did not say on how Palma was able to possess a grenade while he is at the reformatory center.
It was not immediately known what tool or things Palma and the two other inmates used in cutting the iron grills of the detention cell. The IRC management is expected to give its report to Iloilo Governor Niel Tupaz today over the jailbreak.
