MikeLigalig.com

By KIT BAGAIPO    
The Bohol Chronicle   

The Tagbilaran City PNP is now investigating another suspect in the murder and robbery of Bohol Tropics Resort sales and marketing executive Jack Arat.

This even as police filed charges of illegal possession of bladed weapon on their first suspect who was apprehended Saturday night.

Police arrested one Jeffrey Garrote, 25, a resident of Maribojoc shortly before midnight last Saturday as he was selling a mobile phone similar to that belonging to the slain Arat.

Police chief Jacinto Cesar told the Chronicle that Garrote was the suspect of the Arat murder.

However, Garrote denied the allegations that he killed Arat but admitted that the cellphone he was selling had been stolen by a student who passed it on to him.

SPO4 Adriano Bacus of the City PNP said that they are still looking for the said student.

Garrote was spotted by patrolling policemen along Belderol Street but was nabbed at Graham Avenue after a police chase.

He was caught in possession of a knife.

From their shortlist of suspects, the city police are now exploring the possibility that Arat knew his assailant.

Arat was gunned down in front of his residence along J.S. Torralba Street around 3 a.m. last August 13. He died a few hours after.

His attacker divested him of two expensive cellular phones and some P15,000.

Garrote is reportedly a police character who sells stolen cellular phones, police said.

Arat, 30, was a marketing and sales executive of Bohol Tropics Resort Club.