7 Tutuban robbers hunted by police

Elements of the Western Police District are now tracking down seven members of the dreaded Martilyo Gang who robbed a jewelry store in the Tutuban Mall last Sunday.

Investigators said three of the suspects are a certain Monitz, a certain Pedro and a certain Cagui, all Muslims and natives of Cotabato and residents of Maharlika Village in Taguig.

The three were identified yesterday by suspect Lito Canik, 31, a native of Sultan Kudarat, who was turned over to WPD-Station 2 shortly after the robbery.

According to the police, Monitz (who is a male), was the gang leader who planned the heist in Maharlika Village.

Police said Canik and his cohorts robbed the Golden City Jewelry Store owned by a certain Aileen Tan located at the ground floor of the Tutuban Mall at about 3:30 p.m.

After breaking the shop’s glass display cases and scooping a number of gold necklaces, the suspects fled the scene but not after lobbing a grenade at an adjacent garments store to prevent security guards from pursuing.

Fortunately, the MK2 grenade lobbed at the Apple Colors garments shop did not explode although the pin had been pulled. The grenade was later safely detonated by the WPD-Explosives and Ordnance Division.

Canik was arrested by an undercover mall security guard as he was about to board a Cubao-bound jeepney. Seized from him were 20 gold necklaces.

Meanwhile, WPD investigators yesterday said Canik’s group was also behind a bloody robbery of another jewelry store, also at the Tutuban Mall several months ago. In that incident, several persons were hurt when the suspects also hurled a grenade to throw-off pursuing security guards.