By Lito Rulona and Nitz Arancon
A POLICE officer who was linked to a series of robbery cases here was ran over by a speeding pickup truck in Opol, Misamis Oriental, shortly after midnight yesterday.
Police said the suspect died in a freak accident or it could have been a case of suicide.
Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) director Senior Supt. Graciano Mijares identified the suspect as PO1 Wilven Catalan, 27, of Kibawe, Bukidnon. Catalan served as an intelligence operative of the Regional Safety Battalion (RSPB).
Catalan was declared dead on arrival at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC).
He was ran over by a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck with license plates UBO-396 and driven by one Reggie Montaliana of Zamboanga City near Tabing Dagat restaurant in Opol town at around 12:30 am.
Catalan’s head was crushed. His remains lie in state at the Bollozos Funeral Homes in Bulua.
Cugman police’s Chief Insp. Elmer Robas said Catalan was identified as one of the suspects in a robbery in Barangay Cugman on Monday.
Robas said Catalan was under investigation at the time of his arrest. The suspect, he said, confessed to being among those responsible for a series of robberies here and in neighboring towns.
There were at least three other suspects reportedly named by Catalan.
“He tried to cross the highway when the incident happened,” Robas said of Catalan’s death.
Catalan, according to Robas, told investigators he and the other suspects were to re-group and divide the loot.
Police linked Catalan to the group that robbed Raquel Luisma and her Rosalie Tañacao in Zone 8, Barangay Cugman on Monday afternoon. Luisma’s husband Emmanuel once served as a deputy regional director in CampAlagar.
Luisma lost P215 thousand to the robbers.
Robas also linked Catalan and the same group to the robberies staged at Shell Gasoline stations in Cugman and near XavierHeights, and at the Southland Shipping Company in on Sunday afternoon.
Robas said Catalan was supposed to meet the other suspects at Tabing Dagat.
“Sa dihang migawas siya sa sakyanan kalit lang niyang giwakli ang nag-escort sa iya og iyang gitabo ang oncoming nga sakyanan,” Robas said.
Catalan allegedly served as a planner and lookout of the robbery group.
Police have taken custody of Catalan’s caliber .45 pistol, cellphone, police identification card and black motorcycle.
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