Four nabbed for ‘stealing’ crude oil

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Four residents of Bacolod City were arrested for allegedly stealing crude oil from a telecom cell site in Barangay Poblacion, Cauayan, Negros Occidental Monday morning.

Arrested were Rommel Negre, 38; Emilio Lumantad, 41; and Rogelio Pendon, 39, all residents of Barangay Banago here; and Rosine Marie Tentiya, 30, of Barangay 1 here.

Police Major Anthony Grande, town police chief, said they received information from a concerned citizen three days ago about a suspicious red pick-up truck parked in front of a cell site.

Grande said that he then dispatched policemen to the area to validate the report.

Upon verification, police caught Lumantad allegedly siphoning a fuel reserve tank of the cell site, while his companions were waiting inside the vehicle.

Police recovered from them a bolt cutter, a hack saw, and 15 containers, wherein one of which was already loaded with crude oil.

Also confiscated from them were two homemade shotguns with seven live ammunition. However, Grande was not able to identify the owners of the firearms.

Grande said it’s possible that the suspects might have also targeted establishments in the town with the use of the recovered tools.