ATM camera led to rob-slay suspect's arrest

A surveillance camera installed on a bank automated teller machine (ATM) helped the police identify and arrest last Wednesday the suspect in the robbery and killing of an employee of the United Laboratories (Unilab) in Mandaluyong City last Oct. 24.

Eastern Police District (EPD) director Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz said the Mandaluyong City police were clueless on the slaying of John Lanny Rous, 57, until they decided to search for the victim’s missing ATM card.

De la Cruz said the closed circuit television (CCTV) of the Bank of the Philippine Islands ATM located several meters away from the Unilab building caught the suspect, Jed Villaflores, 31, a contractual Unilab employee, withdrawing money from Rous ATM card.

“The suspect was caught by the surveillance camera withdrawing P90,000 from the BPI,” said De la Cruz, adding that Villaflores had already confessed that he killed and robbed Rous.

Villaflores was arrested at his rented house at 38 Eliseo Road in Barangay San Joaquin, Pasig City.

Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun, Mandaluyong City police chief, said that Rous also used Villaflores as an errand boy of his family’s money lending business.

“The suspect used to withdraw money from the victim’s ATM so he knows its PIN number,” De Sagun said.

Instead of going home last Oct. 13, Villaflores spent the night at the Unilab office until Rous arrived for work at about 4:35 a.m. the next day.

Rous was about to enter his office at the printing press of the Unilab when Villaflores, armed with a rubberized steel roller, hit the victim in the head. Rous died when his head hit the cement floor.

Villaflores took Rous cellphone and wallet, containing the ATM card, and rushed out of the room.

De Sagun said that initially the investigators did not considered Villaflores as a suspect.

The police later coordinated with the BPI branch at EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, which is near the Unilab office.

A review of the CCTV tape showed Villaflores making several withdrawals using the ATM card of Rous.