For monday’s heist near city hall: Charges filed vs. Bohol rob group

The Cebu City Police Office finally filed yesterday a case for robbery with double frustrated homicide against five alleged members of the Bohol Robbery Group that took off with close to P 3 million at the vicinity of La Nueva Supermart last Monday.

Among those indicted is a certain Danilo Flores, a former security guard of La Nueva Supermarket.  He allegedly provided the insider information to the robbers.

He is also the one that the police referred to as the new member of the group, who actually participated in the robbery.

Also indicted were the group’s leader Casimero Garcia alias Meloy and Cresencio Reguya alias Bruts. The two along with Flores were positively identified through the rogues’ gallery of the police.

Two other suspects who served as the drivers of the getaway motorcycles are yet to be identified.

 Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, director of the Cebu City Police Office told reporters that in spite of the filing of the case, the suspects would still be pursued because they all have pending arrest warrants from previous robbery cases.

During the robbery, the suspects shot security guard escorts Medard Rama and Procoro Esguerra.  The two are still confined at the Cebu City Medical Center due to gunshot wounds.

Families of the two guards are seeking assistance from the guards’ employer, Mandarin Security Agency Inc., and the bank for medicine and other expenses.

Meanwhile, Metrobank has made official the amount taken in the robbery.  Bank officials said P2.7 million was  taken in the daring robbery, which took place very near the Cebu City Hall.

According to Comendador, they have more than five witnesses including vendors, employees, guards and a minor that positively identified the three suspects.

Witnesses stated, that two weeks before the robbery Flores has been constantly visiting La Nueva and mingled with employees.  He even sold cellular phones.

Police said that Flores was laid-off by his security agency after getting involved in a labor dispute two months ago.

Comendador said, a labor case has been filed.

When the incident happened, Flores was seen talking with one of the guards and again offering to sell his cellphone, but as the teller Grace Manlangit and her escort Esguerra went out from the employees’ entrance, Flores reportedly drew a pistol and shot Esguerra while Garcia shot Rama.

With the guards down, the two both picked up the money bag and fled.  The whole incident was captured by a security camera installed near the employees’ entrance.

“Si Flores mao gyud ang nag-pinpoint sa movement sa kwarta siya maoy mipusil sa usa sa mga gwardiya, mao gyud ni ang characteristics aning grupoha gyud ilang amigohon ang mga gwardiya,” Comendador said.

The CCPO has now issued an advisory to business establishments to do a more stringent background check of the guards assigned to the establishment.

Not Yet Off The Hook

Meanwhile, Rodulfo Atega who reportedly called the CCPO Monday evening to deny his involvement in the robbery is not yet off the hook.

This is because one of the witnesses that pointed at his picture.  The witness however was not very sure that the man in the picture was one of the robbers.

During the follow-up operations, the police recovered a Toyota Lite Ace van allegedly used by the robbers.

The van is reportedly owned by a woman from Las Piñas, Metro Manila while the alleged getaway motorcycle recovered from Logarta Street is said to be registered to a man from Sta. Ana in Laguna.

Monday’s heist was the seventh major robbery this year, five of the previous robberies are already considered solved after the filing of charges against the perpetrator.  Still unsolved is the robbery at Dranix Distributors Inc. that left one security guard dead.

The police are now looking into possible involvement of thje Bohol Robbery Group in the Dranix robbery.

A similarity in both cases aside from the shooting of a guard is the use of a gray colored van.—(/NLQ)