The long arm of the law did reach him at last.

A police character allegedly involved in hold-up, carnapping, and robbery cases in Bacolod City was arrested by operatives of the Task Force Barracuda of the city police yesterday, BCPO director Senior Supt. Ronilo Quebrar said. Paquito Ruiz III was apprehended by members of the task force following a tip from an informant while he was about to stage yet another heist in Purok Calong-Calong, Brgy Singcang, Bacolod City at about 11 a.m. yesterday, Quebrar said.

He said they had been conducting surveillance operations on Ruiz and his group before the arrest.

Quebrar, who formed the Task Force Barracuda last week to solve the growing number of hold-up incidents in the city, said that Ruiz's arrest is proof that they are working to catch heist suspects and put them in jail.

Ruiz is detained at the Police Station 8, Quebrar said.

Meanwhile, three other persons were also nabbed by the police in two days of operations against theft suspects.

Jovan Pimentel, 18, was arrested Wednesday night by officers at the Police Station 4 for allegedly snatching a cellphone from a minor, the police said. Pimentel went to the station to clear his name but Irish Samillano, 16, who was also there when he arrived, positively identified him as the man who snatched her cellphone at Bangga Banaue, Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City, the police said.

On the other hand, Rico Lampunan, 28, and Ronnie Forcel, 26, were detained at the Police Station 3 for separate robbery cases yesterday.

Police reports said Lampunan is suspected of stealing two boxes of chocolate balls worth P50 each at the third floor of Robinson's Place when Vilma Nazareno, sales lady, alerted Christopher Pabuloyan, a security guard at the mall.

Lampunan claimed he just forgot to pay for the chocolate balls while he talked with a boy but Nazareno and Pabuloyan brought him to the police station.

Ronnie Villanueva, on the other hand, claimed he just borrowed the bicycle of Jun Hechanova but the 16-year-old, along with PO1 Felixberto Arsenal endorsed him to the Police Station 2 for theft charges yesterday, police records showed.*PP

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