In what has been described by authorities as the first murderous big-time robbery done in broad daylight in the province, Paniqui has become the center of intensified police operations as lawmen pursue the armed robbers.
According to witnesses, two armed men on board a motorcycle blocked a gray Mitsubishi Lancer of the victims along the municipal road of Poblacion Sur. They then opened fire at the vehicle’s occupants, killing Carlito Rodrigo, branch manager of the Bank of the Philippine Islands-Paniqui, and his security guard, Bienvenido Napura.
A third passenger of the car, a male identified only as a "messenger," was seriously wounded in the attack.
The armed men took the P2-million cash the victims were carrying.
Investigation revealed that Rodrigo and Napura just came from the Red Camia supermarket where they received a P2-million bank deposit. The wounded messenger reportedly worked for the supermarket’s owners.
Police operations are ongoing as of press time. All possible exit points of Paniqui have already been sealed, and policemen in neighboring towns have been put on alert.
Also placed on alert were authorities in the neighboring provinces of Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija who received copies of the cartographic sketches of the armed men.
Senior Superintendent Maximo Calimlim, head of the Tarlac police, would not say if the robbery was done by a syndicate, although investigators did not discount the possibility that more men were involved in the heist. – With Ric Sapnu