PRO-7 to tie up with Mindanao counterpart

CEBU, Philippines - The Police Regional Office–7 will be coordinating with its counterpart in Mindanao and Bohol to determine the possible link of suspects in last Sunday’s heist in Lapu-Lapu City to bigtime robbery groups.

Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division–7 chief, Senior Superintendent Rey Lyndon Lawas, said they are gathering information on the personalities of the eight suspects who robbed a casino financier of P7 million cash last Sunday night.

Lawas said they previously received information that robbery personalities from Mindanao were sighted in Cebu.

Although this has not been validated yet, Lawas said robbery has been their concern following the series of robbery incidents taking place in Cebu the past few days.

“While we will be solving the incidents that happened already, the preventive aspect should be executed,” he said.

Lawas also encouraged individuals who are engaged in financial business to be alert and not to hesitate calling the police for assistance if the need arises.

For Lapu-Lapu City Police Office acting director, Senior Superintendent Armando Radoc, they cannot confirm if the eight suspects who robbed casino financier Marites Amit belong to a robbery group and who among them worked as the mastermind.

 What Radoc is certain was that the perpetrators committed an organized crime.

“Ang timailhan nga gikan sila sa ngakalain-laing lugar, there is a big possibility that this is an organized crime. How they consolidated, how they contacted, are indications,” he said.

Gasoline stations robbed

Meanwhile, two Petron gasoline stations in Barili and Pinamungajan was robbed by three armed men riding motorcycles last Wednesday.  At about 1 p.m. in Barangay Mantalungon, three men who rode on a motorcycle arrived at the gasoline station and asked to have their motorcycle refueled.

The pump boy was refueling the motorcycle when the robbers held the cashier at gunpoint and ordered her to give them the money. The robbers fled with P5,000.

Seven hours later, another Petron gasoline station in Barangay Poblacion, Pinamungajan was robbed also by three armed men.  Just like in Barili, the robbers were having their motorcycle refueled when they pointed a gun at pump boy Carlo Iwanan, 20, and declared a holdup.

The two other robbers pointed their guns to the cashier and took the P8,000 cash. Both incidents were captured by the closed-circuit television cameras of the establishments, which the police will use in the investigation.

The police are investigating the possibility that the robbers in both incidents are just the same. (FREEMAN)