By CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) hopes to resolve the P2-million robbery at the Escalante city hall once the results of the lie detector test on 11 city employees come out.
Polygraph test results will be known in two weeks, NBI investigator Arnel Pura said.
Six cashier’s office personnel, three watchmen and two cleaners had undergone the test.
Cash and checks had been forcibly taken out from the vault of the City Treasurer’s Office at the city hall. The robbery was discovered on July 13.
Conducting the lie detector test was a challenge because NBI–Bacolod does not have the equipment, which costs P1.4 million, Pura said.
He said they had to borrow the polygraph machine of NBI–Cebu.
Once the results turn out negative, another batch of people suspected to be involved in the robbery will undergo the test, said Pura.
Police were finding a hard time investigating the incident. NBI later helped in the probe.
Escalante city police chief Superintendent Leo Batiles earlier claimed that they have identified the suspect.
He also said they will file charges based on witnesses’ testimonies and circumstantial evidence if the suspect will not admit it. The police have not filed any case until now.
The incident was believed to be an inside job.
On July 17, 11 checks worth P740,830 that were among those stolen from the city hall were recovered in Sitio Barka, Barangay Jonob-Jonob./PN
