Suspect in La Paz robbery, cop slay yields
Proclaiming his innocence, a suspect in the robbery of money lenders and the killing of a policeman Saturday noon in La Paz district, Iloilo City voluntarily surrendered to the police a day after the incident occurred.
Gabriel Poblacion, 24, of Jereos St., La Paz personally called up La Paz Police Station chief, Senior Insp. Lorenez Losaria, expressing his desire to yield to authorities.
“He called me over my cellphone and told me that he would like to surrender to clear his name,” Losaria said, adding that it was not clear how Poblacion managed to get his mobile number.
After talking Losaria said he personally fetched Poblacion “somewhere in the town proper of Zarraga.”
The suspect was alone when policemen picked him up.
But despite Poblacion’s insistence of his innocence, Losaria claimed that a witness positively pointed him as the suspect in the robbery of two money lenders which led to a shootout that killed PO1 Elizer Pingoy.
“We would still file robbery and murder cases against him and three other John Does,” Losaria said.
Although only two men were initially known to have carried out the robbery, Losaria said their investigation pointed to two more men who served as lookouts.
Police alleged the four were behind the broad daylight robbery of Indian national Jaspal Singh and his Ilongga wife, Abegail Gabo Singh, at Burgos St., La Paz Saturday noon.
The robbers carted some P30,000 from the couple and even used their motorcycle, as getaway vehicle.
One of the robbers also shot to death Pingoy, a member of Oton Police Station detailed at the Commission on Elections– Iloilo provincial office.
Meanwhile, Losaria said it could be said that Poblacion’s surrender will boost his innocence.
But they are still banking on the positive identification of the witness of
Poblacion as the gunman who killed Pingoy, he said.
Gabriel is the younger brother of notorious Poblacion Group leader, Jonathan. Their other brother, JR, also had his share of notoriety.
Jonathan further gained his infamy after allegedly leading the group who kidnapped a scion of Fil-Chinese businessman sometime in 2002.
He, along with six other suspects, was convicted last April 2010 and now detained at the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
Meanwhile, JR remains elusive to authorities, following suspicion that he masterminded several robbery incidents in Iloilo.
Sources who knew the Poblacion brothers claimed that Gabriel and JR share physical similarities.
