His crime?
He was caught in the act of robbing a gasoline station in Barangay Poblacion in Trinidad town.
Colonel Lorenzo Batuan, Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) director, identified the suspect as 33-year-old Staff Sergeant Conchito Payac Jr., a desk officer at the Dauis Police Station.
Payac originally hails from Barangay Aguining, President Carlos P. Garcia town.
“We assure the public that Payac will face criminal and administrative charges,” Batuan said in Bisaya.
Among the charges to be filed against Payac is robbery with intimidation and violence against persons.
Batuan said Payac, a known heavy gambler who likes to bet on cockfights, may have recently lost a great deal of money or has run out of money, forcing him to resort to crime.
“We also learned that he owns several fighting cocks, which may explain why he can no longer sustain his family’s needs,” Batuan said in Bisaya.
He said Payac is also responsible for a robbing gasoline station in Alicia and Duero towns on December 1 and 7, respectively.
He said Payac operates alone.
The BPPO director said they had no idea about Payac’s criminal activities. But during the robbery on December 7, they received reports linking the policeman to the crime.
Batuan said that prompted them to secretly monitor Payac’s movements and check the days he wasn’t on duty.
That was what Lieutenant Colonel Joemar Pomarejos, head of the Provincial Intelligence Unit, and his men were doing when they witnessed Payac rob the gasoline station in Trinidad on Saturday.
They recovered P8,000 in cash from the suspect’s pocket as well the policeman’s issued firearm and a motorcycle without a license plate.
Pomarejos said Payac’s helmet and the motorcycle matched the helmet and the motorcycle used by the culprit in the robberies on December 1 and 7.
The suspect’s stance and the way he conducted the robbery were also similar to what was captured by the security cameras in the gasoline stations in Alicia and Duero.
Victims of the December 1 and 7 robberies later identified Payac after his arrest.
Batuan said they will look into the possibility that Payac may also be involved in the illegal drug trade. (BBT, PJB)