Couple robbed of P5-million jewelry

MANILA, Philippines - Armed men posing as law enforcers blocked the vehicle of a couple in Quezon City and robbed them of jewelry worth around P5 million Thursday night.

Police Officer 3 Rogelio Basbas said that businesswoman Modesta Rubio, 65, was in a Mitsubishi Adventure driven by her husband, Renato, when a man on a motorcycle blocked their vehicle along A. Bonifacio Street near the corner of C-3 Road in Barangay Manresa.

The two other suspects appeared and demanded that Renato surrender his driver’s license. They also ordered him to open the vehicle’s door.

Renato refused to surrender his driver’s license, insisting he did not commit any traffic violation. However, as the window of the vehicle was slightly opened, one of the suspects managed to force his hand into the vehicle to unlock the door.

At that point, one of the suspects opened the vehicle’s back door and took away Modesta’s bag, which contained the jewelry.

Modesta, who owns a jewelry shop in Meycauayan, Bulacan, said fellow jewelers consigned the pieces to them.

Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said those carrying cash and valuables should be cautious against robbers posing as law enforcers. – Reinir Padua