Police exec: Robbers belong to one group

CEBU, Philippines - A high-ranking police official assigned at the Mandaue City Police Office yesterday said the suspects involved in the recent robbery of three gasoline stations and an agrivet shop belong to one group.

The police official requested not to be named because a conference will still be held at the Police Regional Office -7 this Monday to finally inform the public of the identities of these robbers. This is so the public will become vigilant and immediately report the supects' whereabouts to the police.

The official said the suspects involved in robberies of two Petron gasoline stations, the Star Oil gasoline station and the Pacific Agrivet this week all belong to one group.

He said this group has been operating in another city here in the province, but after one of their cohorts died during a robbery, they staged in a gasoline station in that city and their hideouts identified by the police, they finally left that city to operate in Mandaue.

"Gi-hunting man gud ni sila dayon human sad makatulis og duha ka gasoline station sa maong siyudad ug nakabantay sad ni sila nga init na sila didto busa namalhin ni sila ron og Mandaue," the police official said .

He added that their physical descriptions, vehicles, the color of helmets and the clothes that they were wearing when they robbed one of the gas stations in Mandaue were also the same clothes and helmets they used while robbing one of the gas stations of the city where they operated before.

The police official added that at present, they have already traced their new whereabouts and they are just waiting for the right timing for their possible arrest.

Since last month, there has been a series of robberies that took place in Mandaue City wherein the suspects were motorcycle-riding men in tandem .

The first to be robbed was Petron gasoline station in Barangay Labogon last October 10 wherein the suspects carted awayP16,000 cash. They also robbed Remee's Merchandising in Barangay Cabancalan last October 17 and carted away P15,000.

Another Petron gasoline station was victimized along Ouano Avenue in Barangay Subangdaku where suspects took P12,946.

The Star Oil gasoline station was also attacked and lost P20,000 and the latest to fall victim was the Pacifica Agrivet Supply wherein the suspects took some P1,800 cash and a tablet.  (FREEMAN)