By Jennifer P. Rendon
Weeks after the last reported robbery, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) recorded another incident.
The latest heist occurred at around 3:20 a.m. on March 11 in Barangay Buray, Oton.
Police identified the victim as alias Rose, 28, a resident of the area. She is involved in livestock trading and owns a meat stall at the Oton Public Market.
Reports said Rose left home alone on her e-bicycle to go to the public market. About 30 meters from her house, two men intercepted her.
She told investigators that the suspects grabbed part of her vehicle. She lost control of the e-bike and landed in a roadside rice field.
The suspects quickly grabbed her shoulder bag, which contained around PHP410,000 in cash.
Lt. Col. Abner Jordan, Oton police chief, said the suspects allegedly fled on foot. Rose screamed for help, alerting her father.
Jordan said it is possible that the two suspects had an accomplice waiting in a getaway vehicle parked several meters away.
Rose said it was too dark for her to get a clear look at the suspects’ faces. She only recalled that they were wearing shorts and stood about 5-foot-5.
She routinely leaves home early to go to the market, which is less than two kilometers away. In previous days, she had been carrying even larger amounts of money.
Jordan said police have yet to identify any persons of interest in the case.
