Trader robbed of P4.6M

A businessman was held up of his newly withdrawn cash amounting to P4.6 million by a group of unidentified armed men clad in complete police uniforms along a national highway in Barangay San Antonio, San Pedro, Laguna Friday afternoon.

At least five Armalite-wielding men grabbed the cash from the bag of Julius Galang, 46, a government supplies dealer and resident of South Peak Subdivision, Barangay San Antonio, this town.

The amount was reportedly withdrawn from MetroBank San Pedro Branch in Barangay Nueva to be transferred to Batangas Manila Subic Bank (BMS) a kilometer away.

The unidentified robbers even indiscriminately fired their Armalite rifles apparently to scare the victim and onlookers along a national highway in front of the SPO2000 KTV, Barangay San Anotnio at about 2:45 p.m. Friday before robbing the victim.

No one was seriously hurt except Galang who was boxed in the face and hit in the stomach with the butt of the rifles by the robbers to force him to alight from the white Toyota Prado Land Cruiser he was riding in.

Chief Inspector Alfredo Marudo, San Pedro police chief, said the robbers tailed the victim’s car after the withdrawal from MetroBank in Barangay Nueva and tried to block it with a Honda CVR car without license plates upon reaching the vicinity of the SPO2000 KTV.

The victim’s car, however, was able to evade the blocking by swerving to the left, forcing the robbers to fire at the victim.

Galang told police probers that had his car not gotten entangled with a passenger jeepney, he could have escaped the robbery.

Galang was accompanied by BMS cashier Elsa Padilla and messenger Nelson Luleriaga in his car to bring the money to the BMS when held up by the unidentified armed men wearing black long-sleeved sweat shirts and black caps, both bearing police markings. — Rene Alviar