Thieves in police shirts hit North Metro twice

MANILA, Philippines - Heavily armed men, wearing police uniform, struck twice last week in the northern part of Metro Manila robbing a sales agent of cash and his vehicle but bungled a mall robbery attempt.

Timoteo Pueblos, 53, a sales agent and a resident of Marikina City, lost his cash and his Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck (XRU 337) to unidentified men in police athletic uniform at around 6:30 p.m. last week in Barangay Mapulang Lupa, Valenzuela City, it was learned only yesterday.

The Valenzuela City police said that armed men, wearing a light-blue T-shirt with “PULIS” markings, flagged down Pueblos’ car along Home Centrum Green Subdivision in Barangay Mapulang Lupa and “forcibly” took his vehicle and cash.

Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao, who took the post as Northern Police District director on Holy Wednesday, directed the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (Camanava) police chiefs to submit reports of incidents in their respective areas that involved men in police uniform.

The new NPD director’s order came following the botched rob try of the Malabon City (MC) Square on Sunday night by men in police attire. At least 10 suspects, armed with handguns and rifles including two M203 grenade launchers, barged inside the MC Square along Letre Road at around 10 p.m. The robbers, however, failed to get any cash when a supermarket’s safety vault they tried to open emitted glaring noise forcing them to flee. The vault was equipped with alarm mechanism.

They fled on board a black sports utility vehicle and a motorcycle.

Malabon City police chief Senior Superintendent Roberto Villanueva said Wednesday that they got the plate numbers of the suspects’ two getaway vehicles and were already “tracing” them. The police were yet to establish yesterday whether the men who took Pueblos’ car are also the ones who tried to rob the Malabon City Square.