10 'cops' rob bus passengers in Caloocan

MANILA, Philippines - At least 10 men, armed with an M-14 rifle and .45 caliber pistols, robbed the passengers of a bus in Caloocan City Friday afternoon.

The Baliwag passenger bus (CVU-169) was cruising along De Jesus street at around 1:45 p.m., when around 10 of its passengers stood up and claimed to be police officers from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and that they were conducting an anti-illegal drug operation.

The armed men directed the passengers to open their bags for inspection and proceeded to take the passengers’ money, cell phones and other valuables.

They also grabbed P3,000 from bus conductor Reynante Mendoza, 33.

Kar en Kas moneychanger shop employees Michael Villanueva, Michael Ingreso, and Marianne Ramos lost a “large amount of money” they were supposed to deliver to a client, according to the police.

The robbers alighted from the bus and some of them boarded three motorcycles parked along the highway.

Senior Police Officer 2 Ricky Sta. Isabel said yesterday they were still gathering more information on the robbery.