The police arrested late Tuesday a suspect in the series of robbery/hold-up cases in Dumaguete City and nearby towns of Negros Oriental.

The suspect, Danilo Celestial alias Enteng, 26, married, of of the neighboring town of Bacong, was nabbed at his rented house in Purok Santan, Dumaguete, after surveillance by police intelligence operatives.

Recovered from the suspect were a homemade .38 caliber snub-nose revolver with four rounds of ammunition, a marijuana joint, a small box containing marijuana seeds and leaves, several cellphones, and ladies’ wallets.

Celestial is believed to be a member of the “Martesan Boys,” a gang of robbery/hold-up suspects operating in the Bacong-Dumaguete area, Insp. Rogelio Pineda, Jr., chief of the city police intelligence section, said.

Already, some hold-up victims, including an Australian national and his Filipino wife residing in Bacong, have appeared at the police station to identify Celestial.

The victims were able to positively identify him because of the tattoos on his forearms.

Celestial is also among the two suspects involved in last week’s hold-up and shooting of a businessman, Ernesto Dy, at Barangay Daro, Dumaguete.

In that incident, one of the suspects snatched the bag of Dy’s daughter, prompting the father to rush to her rescue. The other suspect shot Dy, who sustained an injury but survived.

One of Celestial’s “gang-mate” was earlier arrested and is now detained, while two others are still at large, Pineda added.

Celestial said he had earlier served a one-year sentence in Siaton, Negros Oriental in 2002.

After his release, he said he returned to his main source of livelihood, fishing, but was recently forced to engage in illicit activities due to dire financial needs.

His 19-year-old pregnant wife, who accompanied him to the police station, had to be rushed to the hospital late Tuesday where she gave birth to their first baby, a boy.

Celestial will be facing charges for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition as well as for robbery, the police said.*JFP

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