Armored van bandit collared

One of the suspects involved in robbing two armored vans in separate heists in Quezon City was arrested by police Friday night in Pasig City following a month-long surveillance.

The suspect was identified as Ike Lozada, reportedly a supervisor of the Mobile Security Agency. He is now detained at the Central Police District headquarters awaiting proper charges to be filed against him.

Confiscated from the suspect was a caliber .38 revolver. Lozada, police said, is a remnant of the Kuratong-Baleleng robbery gang.

According to Chief Inspector Rodolfo Jaraza, head of the Central Police District-Intelligence Unit, Lozada was arrested at about 7 p.m. near his office in Barangay Orando, Pasig. Jaraza said the suspect did not put up a fight when arrested.

A police source said Lozada’s cohorts, numbering up to 20 people, are reportedly hiding in Pasig City or Parañaque City.

Investigators said the suspect is part of the group that robbed two armored vans in separate occasions on Quezon Avenue last March 26 and Aurora Boulevard in May 14.

In the first heist, the robbers hit an armored van containing the P3 million in salaries for the Pag-Asa office. The second heist took place at about 4:30 p.m. in front of a doughnut shop located on Balete Drive corner Aurora Boulevard in Cubao. Two of the van’s escort guards were injured in a shootout, in which police said, Jaraza was again involved.

"We are confident that given more time, we will be able to arrest most if not all of the perpetrators involved in these two incidents. We have information on their whereabouts and we hope we can bring them to justice soon," Jaraza told The STA