Robbers kill guard, take empty cash box

MANILA, Philippines - Three robbers shot dead a guard at a money transfer shop in Parañaque City yesterday morning and the outlet’s cash box – which turned out to be empty.

The robbers, armed with .45 caliber pistols, shot Felipe Montilla several times before taking a .38 caliber revolver and the cash box from a Western Union branch in a commercial area on Dr. A. Santos Avenue and fleeing on a motorcycle toward the South Luzon Expressway’s Sucat interchange, Senior Superintendent Ariel Andrade, Parañaque police chief told The STAR.

He said Montilla died on the spot from gunshot wounds in the chest and stomach. Investigators recovered five shells from a .45 caliber pistol from the scene.

Andrade said the cash box was empty because the outlet had just opened for the day.

Second heist

Chief Superintendent Jose Erwin Villacorte, Southern Police District director, said the same branch was robbed on Jan. 29 by six armed men.

The robbers – who were targeting the shop’s vault – left after taking P60,000 from the tellers’ drawers when they spotted a patrol car approaching. They shot at the patrol car as they fled toward Las Piñas City.

A suspect was arrested after a security guard got the license plate number of one of the motorcycles.

Andrade said they are verifying if Montilla was the same guard who identified the suspects in the January robbery.

“We are looking at a possible motive, whether it was robbery or personal,” he said.