‘Defective’ padlock blamed for inmate’s escape
Robert Baltazar was all up early morning of yesterday.
Upon noticing that the rest around him was oblivious about his presence, it was believed that he opened the “defective” padlock, sneak out of the door, and proceeded to the nearby comfort room.
What Baltazar did seem to be just one of those ordinary acts except that he was an inmate of the Mandurriao Police Station.
Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested the 29-year old Baltazar Friday noon following a buy bust operation at Brgy. Taft North, Mandurriao district.
Upon reaching the comfort room, though, police investigators theorized that Baltazar forced himself to an open window and walked to his temporary freedom.
According to Mandurriao Police Station commander Chief Insp. Conrado Carganillo, it was only at around 4:00 a.m. when they discovered Baltazar’s disappearance.
Carganillo said that they just arrived from a hot pursuit operation against suspects who held-up a couple in Guzman St.
The irony of it was that it was Baltazar’s fellow prisoners who were the ones who called out and informed them that the jailbird was nowhere to be found.
“According to the five inmates, they did not notice Baltazar’s going out of jail,” Carganillo said.
He added that at around 1:00 in the morning, the 6 inmates were all accounted for.
“By 2:00 a.m., we conducted the hot pursuit operation. So, we presumed that he escaped between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m.,” he narrated.
Even the jailer, PO2 Igmedio Cristobal, claimed that he was up but did not notice Baltazar’s action.
When they checked, Carganillo said that the jail’s padlock could be forced opened even without the use of a key.
But before the suspected drug pusher’s escape, the Mandurriao PNP chief claimed that he did not receive any report or complaint from duty jailguards that the padlock was defective.
As the padlock was replaced with a new one, Baltazar’s escape caused the relief of Cristobal, who is presently detained for any possible lapses.
Meanwhile, Carganillo said that they are conducting manhunt operation against Baltazar.
