UV Express van rob suspect nabbed in Makati

MANILA, Philippines - A man suspected of robbing the passengers of a UV Express van along Kalayaan Avenue in Makati City was arrested Friday night.

Reiner Magbantay, 26, was nabbed at past 8 p.m. by police officers in a UV Express van (TXX-142) whose passengers he had just robbed, city police chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban said.

Lukban said policemen were on patrol along Kalayaan Avenue as they were following up on a recent robbery when they noticed four men on two motorcycles. The two backriders, one of them Magbantay, got off and boarded the UV Express van, he said.

Police officers said Magbantay seated himself at the back of the van while his still unidentified accomplice seated himself in the middle.

Lukban said the police officers continued to follow the van until it reached EDSA. There, they saw Magbantay robbing the van’s passengers.

According to Lukban, the police officers stopped the van and arrested Magbantay, who yielded the passengers’ valuables. His accomplice escaped.