NBI probes pizza chain heists

MANILA, Philippines - A man claiming to be a delivery boy of a popular fastfood chain will face charges in connection with a series of robberies at three branches of a pizza company this year, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday.

Special Investigator III Jose Andres Salac said robbery charges will be filed against Mark Soque, who was arrested by the Pasig City police in a separate robbery incident this week.

Salac said Soque was identified as one of the two men who robbed the pizza chain’s two branches in Quezon City and one in Manila, the latest of which was reported on Aug. 22.

“The robbers were able to steal P200,000 from one branch,” Salac said, adding that the perpetrators targeted the branches at a time when there were no customers.

He asked journalists not to release the names of the companies pending investigation.

Asked about the probe, NBI Director Nonnatus Caesar Rojas said they are also looking into the possibility that this might be a syndicate operating within the industry.