Manila cops kill 12 robbers in 5 weeks

Manila, Philippines - Two robbers were killed in an alleged shootout with Manila policemen in Sampaloc at past midnight yesterday.

Manila Police District homicide section records show that since May, 12 robbers or robbery suspects were reported to have been slain in encounters with policemen or found dead, their bodies bearing signs of having been summarily executed.

Sampaloc police station chief Superintendent Jemar Modequillo said two men robbed a 36-year-old housewife at gunpoint while she was waiting for a ride along Altura street at around 1 a.m.

After taking the woman’s cell phone and handbag, the robbers sped off on a Yamaha motorcycle (PD-1530). Modequillo said the woman asked a roving team led by Police Officer 2 Benito Casauay for help.

The police team chased the robbers and cornered them along Mangga and Benito streets. One of the robbers reportedly shot at the approaching lawmen, triggering a firefight.

Policemen recovered the victim’s belongings from the slain robbers, who remain unidentified. According to a report, the robbers were between 30 and 40 years old and were armed with a .38 caliber revolver and a cigarette lighter made to look like a gun.