PNP orders tight watch for Tudor watches

MANILA, Philippines - Want to buy a Tudor watch? Read this first.

Police are closely monitoring jewelry and watch dealers and pawnshops nationwide to prevent members of Alvin Flores gang from selling the 64 Tudor watches worth P6 million they took from the Greenbelt 5 Mall robbery in Makati City last Oct. 17.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa also ordered the Directorate for Intelligence (DI) to check hospitals all over the country for a robber who was wounded in the ensuing shootout with members of the Taguig City police Special Weapons and Tactics.

“We are now in the target-hardening mode with regards to the Alvin Flores gang. Gen. Verzosa wanted all information forwarded by tipsters verified, especially with regards to the stolen watches and the hospital where a wounded gang member could have been taken for medical treatment,” said Director Eugene Martin, PNP-DI commander.

According to Martin, information about the whereabouts of the gang kept on pouring into his office since Verzosa announced a P500,000 reward for the capture of the elusive Alvin Flores, the gang leader.

“We are presently validating the information forwarded to us. We are hoping to get him the soonest possible time,” said Martin.

For his part, Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales is coordinating with jewelry and watch dealers and pawnshops and secondhand watch stores in Metro Manila.

“We are asking the jewelry and watches dealers and the pawnshops and secondhand watch stores to report to us any effort to sell the stolen items so we could react immediately to have the sellers arrested,” he said.

Rosales said they are also checking hospitals in Metro Manila after tapes from the Greenbelt 5 mall’s surveillance camera showed one of the robbers was wounded in the shootout. Another robber, Armando Domingo, was killed in the first volley of gunfire.

Rosales said massive follow-up operations against the Alvin Flores are ongoing, but refused to give details.

Southern Police District (SPD) director Chief Superintendent Jaime Calungsud, the head of the Special Investigation Task Force (SITF) investigating the incident claimed “men in the field” are updating him of the progress of their follow-up operations.

“All information we received are being verified and validated before we conduct raids,” he said. “We are working on a good lead.”

Rosales urged the public to report immediately any information regarding the Alvin Flores so the National Capital Regional Police Office could neutralize them for good.

“The public should cooperate in our effort to neutralize this gang. We are doing our utmost in ending their nefarious activities,” said Rosales amid criticism about the slow-paced police effort to bust the criminal syndicate.

“How we wish to stop their illegal activities once and for all but we could not do so because of the absence of information regarding their whereabouts,” Rosales said as he urged the public to do their share in solving the problem.