Apayao cops eye inside job in P3-M payroll rob

La Trinidad, Benguet – Cordillera police suspect that robbery gangmen who carted away the P3 million salaries of provincial employees in Apayao last week have prior information from insiders within the provincial capitol.

This as Cordillera police director Chief Superintendent Eugene Martin hinted that Cabugao town policemen tracking down the suspects found on Thursday a magazine of M16 rifle with ammunitions along their escape route in sitio Binakdong, barangay Badduat, in the said town.

Policemen also seized a Honda XRM motorcycle (3493 BC), which police believed was used by a certain Ricardo Caddawan alias Boy, who acted as a lookout in the highway heist.

Cabugao town policemen have also found out that one of the suspects – Ferdinand Caddawan – allegedly sustained a gunshot wound on his head and left foot during a shootout with policemen pursuing them.

Martin said the midday daring heist was hatched by a family of thieves and probably had direct links with provincial capitol employees who tipped them about the transport of the payroll. Thus, the Cordillera police director said, “Apayao policemen are now talking with witnesses while preparing for cases against Caddawan and his cohorts.  “After the cases will be filed, a manhunt operation will be hatched,”  Martin said.  

Bonnet-wearing and heavily armed men blocked the provincial government Mitsubishi Pajero vehicle while it was delivering the P3,098,000 salaries on Tuesday afternoon. The government vehicle driven by Danilo Balican together with three other female government employees was heading towards Cabugao to bring the salaries when the four armed with M16 rifles and one caliber .45 pistol blocked their way along sitio Banan, barangay Lenneng.

The Tuesday robbery in Apayao was the most daring robbery with the biggest loot yet this year in the Cordillera.