Three of 5 mall robbers identified

Police have identified three of the five suspects who robbed on Monday two employees of a Metrobank branch of P1.2 million collections inside a mall in Marikina City. Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr., Marikina police chief said the suspects Rey Noquia, Edgar Ibañez and Crispin Bangolo, were identified through their rogue gallery. Ramos said Blue Wave Marquinton mall female guard Evelyn Cahapon positively identified Noquia, while security guards Christopher Siongco and Reynaldo Daquigan pointed to Ibañez and Bangolo.

The Marikina City police chief said Noquia, Ibañez and Bangolo are members of the dreaded Ampang-Colangco robbery group, responsible for a series of payroll, armored van and bank robberies in Metro Manila. Reports showed that Delfin Punzalan, 38, and Marlon Seguerra, 29, pick-up tellers of Metrobank were collecting cash from shops and stalls inside the mall when the suspects appeared from nowhere at about 2 p.m.

The suspects disarmed security guards Jayson Laureano and Alexander Ikong of their service firearms and at gunpoint ordered them and the two bank employees to lie down facing the floor. After taking the shoulder bag from Punzalan containing the cash collections, the robbers boarded a maroon Toyota FX (WEM-617) and drove off. The getaway vehicle was abandoned by the suspects some two kilometers away from the mall. Recovered inside the vehicle were two 12-gauge shotguns and a .38 caliber revolver issued to Ikong and Laureano.

Ramos said the escape vehicle was registered to Nenita Guibone, but sold to Ricardo Camps on July 14 for P118,000. Camps said he, too, sold the vehicle to a certain Rex Cruz of Mandaluyong City on Aug. 10 for P162, 000.  – Non Alquitran