Suspects in P10-M botched heist identified

Northern Police District (NPD)-District Investigation and Detective Management Division (DIDMD) chief Superintendent Rafael Santiago Jr., said yesterday that his men are zeroing in on the nine heavily armed suspects in the botched P10-million heist Monday in Valenzuela City.

“Some of the suspects, including their leader, have already been identified and we were able to locate their hideout,” Santiago told The STAR.

Santiago, however, begged off to give more details claiming that divulging them might jeopardize their operation.

“We will get them soon,” he said.

The NPD-DIDMD policemen, led by Santiago, engaged nine armed men fleeing on three motorcycles at the corner of San Diego and P. Santiago streets in Barangay Canumay West Monday morning.

The suspects had just robbed the Top Mark Steel Corp. on Sacred Heart Compound, San Diego Street also in Barangay Canumay West when the police encountered them.

According to Santiago, the suspects failed to locate their “exact target” – a vault that reportedly contained more than P10 million – in the compound.

Instead they barged into a warehouse where they robbed the firm’s owner, David Choy, and his four employees of some P40,000 in cash and other valuables.

During the encounter, Senior Police Officer 2 Juanito Lazaro and Police Officer 3 Robert Vecida were wounded. The two cops are now out of danger. Santiago had his black bullcap grazed by a bullet.

Police Officer 3 Bonifacio de Guzman, who came face to face with one of the gunmen, identified suspect Gilbert Bautista as the one who reportedly fired at them with an M-16 rifle. Bautista is reportedly the group’s leader.

NPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango said Bautista’s group was also responsible for the United Coconut Planters Bank branch heist in Quezon City last October.  – Pete Laude