Premature celebration

They thought their heist was a success and gave each other a high five while on board a passenger jeepney in Makati City Sunday afternoon.

But suspects Alex Bacang, 30, of Dagat-Dagatan, Caloocan, and Benjamin Eso, 27, of Meycauayan, Bulacan, did not know that the police were already watching.

From their celebration inside the jeepney, the two went straight to the Makati police headquarters’ detention cell in handcuffs.

Eso was a delivery boy of one of the bookstore’s suppliers who used to bring books to the establishment, said case investigator, Police Officer 2 Vicente Barrameda, of the Makati police theft and robbery section.

Initial investigation showed that the two and a cohort identified only as "Negro" allegedly robbed the Philippine Christian Bookstore located at 17 Pasay road, Barangay Pio del Pilar at around 2 p.m.

While Eso acted as the lookout, Negro and Bacang, armed with an icepick, ordered employee, Roque Bolutano Jr., to turn over the bookstore’s earnings for the day.

But Bolutano resisted and he sustained injuries on the face and body.

The suspects tied Bolutano’s hands and covered his mouth with masking tape then ransacked the cash register.

They fled with P5,000 in cash and the victim’s bag containing P4,500, two cellular phones, and important documents.

Bolutano’s call to 117 for help resulted in the quick dispatch of a mobile unit from the Police Community Precinct 4.

Responding officers, Inspector Reycon Garduque, PO2 Marvin Mendoza, and PO2 Herbert Bernejo saw the two suspects board a passenger jeepney at the corner of Pasay Road and Evangelista Street.

Senior Police Officer 4 Dioscoro Asinas Jr. theft and robbery section officer-in-charge, recalled the police officers telling him that Bacang and Eso even gave each other a high five.

The two were immediately arrested but "Negro" managed to escape with the loot.– Nikko Dizon