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Monday, August 25, 2003
Dagupan police uncover lead in P3.5M heist
DAGUPAN CITY -- Police here have established a lead in the P3.5 million robbery of a Bank of Commerce vehicle last Thursday.
Dagupan City Police Chief Noli G. Taliño said the robbers belong to a group that conducted previous heists in other places using the same modus operandi.
"They are not necessarily all Pangasinenses but they have a contact in Dagupan or in the province," he said.
He would not give additional details on the identity of the robbers so as not to preempt the ongoing investigation.
The robbery, which happened during last Thursday's heavy afternoon downpour, took less than five minutes to pull off.
Taliño said the Traffic Management Group (TMG) confirmed that the Isuzu Crosswind used by the armed men when they held up the bank vehicle along Perez Boulevard was stolen while it was parked in Metro Manila.
Pepito Manabat, 51, with residences in Lubao, Pampanga and Hidalgo Village, Pasay City, claimed the Isuzu Crosswind get-away vehicle recovered by the police in Barangay Pogo Grande from the Dagupan City Police Station last Saturday.
Taliño said they released the vehicle to the claimant after he was able to present documents of ownership and a copy of the Flash Alarm Complaint Report issued by the Traffic Management Group (TMG).
In his Affidavit of Undertaking, Manabat stated his vehicle was taken at gunpoint from his salesman last August 11 along Julia Vargas Street in Pasig.
The Isuzu Crosswind bore an "8" plate number, exclusively assigned to members of the House of Representatives, when it was used in the robbery.
The city police immediately requested from TMG-Lingayen a record check on the chassis and engine numbers of the hot car.
Taliño also said they have yet to identify the real owner of the second getaway car, a maroon Tamaraw FX, used by the robbers.
The Tamaraw FX was abandoned Friday morning in Sitio Parongking, Barangay San Miguel in Calasiao town.
"The name on the papers recovered inside the Tamaraw FX van said he is not the owner and does not have such kind of vehicle," Taliño said.
After the robbery, the criminals passed the less-traversed Zamora Street to Pogo Grande where they abandoned the Crosswind and transferred to the FX van "to mislead the police."
Taliño said some people witnessed the robbers abandon the second getaway car.
He said the Dagupan City police are in close coordination with their counterparts in Calasiao, which is headed by Supt. Candito Quijardo, for the interrogation of the witnesses as well as other independent units for the speedy resolution of the case.
Taliño already had a dialog with Pangasinan Provincial Police Office Director Mario Sandiego and Provincial Police Intelligence Officer Rayland Malenab for the establishment of links with other police units in other provinces and in Metro Manila.
He likewise revealed that the Bank of Commerce management has also been conducting its own investigation on the heist.
"They have some investigators from their Manila head office and they would be giving the results of their investigation to the police. But we will still conduct our own investigation," he said.
Not discounting the possibility of the robbers having a contact from inside, Taliño said there were circumstances showing this might be true.
He further said that the M14 rifle recovered at the abandoned Isuzu Crosswind is not a property of the PNP.
"There is no record on the firearm at Camp Crame so we will try the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines)," he said.
Taliño also said he gave tips to managers of various banks in financial institutions on how to strengthen the security of their establishments during a meeting of the Metro Dagupan Bankers Association Inc. last Thursday.
"I told them to pour in a little investment in having security personnel because it is better to invest a little in strengthening the bank's security rather than losing big in robberies," he said. FPM
(August 25, 2003 issue)
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