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Friday, September 23, 2005
Brains, robbery gang leader being hunted
There may be much more to the P9.4-million bank robbery in Bogo, but whatever it is, Supt. Vicente Loot is not ready to say yet.
The acting Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) chief confirmed, though, the arrest of suspects Dindo Ancero, Isagani Chico and Felix Albores Tuesday morning.
Loot admitted that he did not release the information because they were hoping to arrest the alleged team leader, Joel Sumabong.
“As much as possible, we want him alive. He holds the key to the door that will lead us to the mastermind,” Loot told reporters yesterday.
Loot said that after the arrest of the three, they have information that “may put a twist to this whole drama.”
He declined to elaborate, saying they will be revealing more details when they get concrete evidence.
Asked if this included politics, he said he did not want to speculate.
“At the moment, we are seeing this as an ordinary criminal act by a criminal group. Based on (information) we have gathered, they were organized prior to the incident. They were supported, armed and housed,” he said.
Hiding
The Masbate Provincial Police Office and the CPPO have coordinated with each other after learning that some suspects of the Land Bank of the Philippines robbery in Bogo last Aug. 4 were hiding in Kawayan, Masbate.
Loot said that they did their best to get Suma-bong, but he proceeded to an area “heavily infested” with New People’s Army rebels.
In their investigation, they learned that Sumabong was a former NPA commander.
Though the operatives will have difficulty infiltrating the area, Loot assured that they were conducting operations for Sumabong’s arrest.
“If I were him, I would surrender before other people who are interested in him will catch up with him. Mas maayo pa na ma-una mi kaysa maunahan siya. Definitely, he’ll be dead. I’m advising him for his own safety,” he told reporters.
Loot said that the three arrested have several revelations, which he could not divulge yet.
However, he said that if their investigation leads them to something other than crime, he assured they will continue getting to the bottom of things.
Leads
“We will pursue whatever leads we find, as long as these are relevant to the case,” he assured.
Of the 12 men charged with the robbery, five are now in their custody.
Aside from the three, police earlier arrested former army member Joseph Ancajas and the bank’s security guard, Henry Cuerda.
Police also included a former naval officer, Ceferino Serbano, in the robbery in band charge, after two getaway vehicles were found to be his.
The Nissan Vanette and Kawasaki KMX motorcycle were registered to Philway Construction, a company Serbano owns.
Loot considers the robbery a high-profile case because of the amount taken and the people involved.
He said this is the group’s first robbery, but believes they have been involved in other cases because they were “hitmen” before they pulled the heist. (MEA)
(September 23, 2005 issue)
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