3 robbery suspects killed in shootout

CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines – Three suspected members of a robbery-holdup syndicate operating in Nueva Ecija were killed in a shootout with lawmen shortly after they have robbed an electric cooperative in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija Friday.

Senior Superintendent Ricardo Marquez, provincial police director, said the suspects have yet to be identified. They were slain when joint operatives of the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group encountered five heavily armed men who engaged them in Barangay Santiago, Aliaga Friday.

Marquez reported to Region 3 police director, Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz that the suspects who were aboard an L300-van just robbed the office of the Tarlac Electric Cooperative in Barangay Sto. Rosario Young, Zaragoza Thursday evening.

Marquez said that a sub-station tender of Tarelco reported that the three were part of a heavily armed five-man gang aboard a dark pick-up and a motorcycle which broke inside the coop’s compound at 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

They disarmed the security guard and company employees and gagged them with packaging tape. Once inside, they destroyed the main vault and stashed P240,000 in cash, four cellular phones, a landline unit, one computer with printer and drove the coop’s patrol jeep.

Coop employees reported the incident to the Zaragoza police led by Chief Inspector Danilo Zulueta Sr. who launched hot pursuit operations and alarmed the composite team of the provincial police and the CIDG led by Chief Inspector Joselito Villaroza.

The police team caught up with them in Barangay Santiago and following a firefight, killed three of them.

Police recovered from the scene of the encounter three revolvers, one motorcycle, one hand grenade, the L-300 van used as getaway vehicle and the patrol jeep and office equipment carted away by the suspects.