Inside job eyed in VECO heist

The National Bureau of Investigation has taken into custody three men, including the security guard on duty, for possible involvement in the P1.7 million robbery of the Visayan Electric Company extension office in Mandaue City last Monday.

NBI operatives took into their custody Salje Amante, Abelito "Abet" Burgos and security guard Tomas Corpin for questioning believing that they may have knowledge of the robbery.

Investigators found inconsistencies in the testimonies of Amante and Burgos aside from the fact that the latter failed in the polygraph test twice.

Burgos, who worked as a VECO messenger but under the employ of PMSA General Services, tested positive in the lie detector test. He claimed that he was already about to leave the VECO office when the janitor, Amante, noticed the commotion inside the office between the guard and the robbers.

Burgos said, he immediately rode his motorcycle, which he said was parked in front of the VECO entrance, but it failed to start. Amante alleged that he went down from his own motorcycle and pushed the vehicle of Burgos in order to start it before heading towards the opposite direction of the road.

However, Amante denied helping Burgos to start his motorcycle. According to Amante, it was Burgos who told him that it looks like the VECO office was being held-up.

Amante said, he saw Corpin who was already being held by the robbers. Amante said Corpin made a gesture for him to run, which he immediately did. Amante said he ran towards a nearby bakery supposedly to find a policeman.

However, he found no policeman in the area prompting him to go back to the office, but the robbers had already fled.

NBI investigators however found his statement unbelievable, because no one in the area could support his claim.

Corpin denied seeing a motorcycle parked in front of the office when the robbery took place.

Investigators also questioned Amante's failure to shout for help when there are lots of people passing by the area since it was the afternoon rush hour.

The NBI did a re-enactment of the robbery yesterday afternoon and it was found out that the area was very busy.

Investigators also found out during ocular inspection that the testimonies of Corpin, Amante and Burgos were contradicting.

Investigators were likewise puzzled why it took 30 minutes for Burgos to report the incident to Arnel Perez, Veco's vice president for finance.

It was learned that Burgos had just reported back for work that afternoon when VECO was robbed. He was on leave for one week. VECO officials said that it was not the usual time for Burgos to report to the office because he usually reports for work at 1:00 o'clock in the afternoon. However, on October 30 Burgos reported to the VECO office at 4:30 p.m.

Burgos was also the only one who tested positive among the seven people invited to take the polygraph examination. The other people subjected to the lie detector test were the tellers Kathleen Chloe Culango, Jofelyn Dimaano and Merlyn Delamen and cashier Vernon Bongo.

Amante and Corpin likewise underwent the test and passed.

Three men wearing uniforms of VECO linemen staged the two-minute robbery after a woman, who is believed to be an accomplice knocked at the door of the establishment to ask the guard if she can pay her electric bill. Corpin, who was the guard on duty at that time, reportedly slightly held the door ajar to tell the woman that they were already closed for the day.

It was at this point that the three robbers forced their way into the office and held the people in there at gunpoint before emptying the contents of the safe into a bag.