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Saturday, December 18, 2004
Robbers ambush van, strip businesswoman of P30T
By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- Six persons, three of them armed, robbed a woman of P30,000 right after she withdrew the amount before noon Friday.
Tracy Go, 25, of the Adlaon Energy Development Corp. and her driver Ruben Manolo, 49, were waylaid at the corner of F. Gonzales and Lincoln Sts. after they got out of the Metrobank in Plaridel St. around the block. The money was supposed to cover the payroll.
A red Kawasaki Aura motorcycle overtook the Nissan Urvan they were riding, while a green Honda TMX motorcycle bumped the side of the van.
The Theft and Robbery Section is yet to determine if the three persons riding the green motorcycle had a hand in the robbery.
One of those on the red motorcycle stepped down and told Manolo, Go’s driver for 13 years, to get off the van and drop to the ground.
Another went inside the van and allegedly slapped Go several times, according to witnesses in the area.
Slapped
They also broke the van’s window. Glass fragments were found in the area.
Nathan Engutan, a security guard detailed in one of the warehouses in the area, said he noticed the commotion but thought the incident was merely traffic-related.
He saw the green motorcycle hit the van and three armed men he assumed were policemen responding to the incident.
But later, he saw one of the robbers slap Go several times before taking the bag with the P30,000 cash inside.
They were seen fleeing towards the Carbon Market.
After the robbery, Manolo and Go proceeded to the Macrolite Hardware and Electrical Supply along Magallanes St., owned by Go’s uncle, Jackson.
Roadblock
There they called the police and informed them about the robbery.
Police set up a roadblock, instructed all units to hold checkpoints in search of three persons on motorcycles, but nothing came of it.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña suspects they were under surveillance by somebody inside the bank or someone standing outside. He said the robbers probably struck when they noticed the amount withdrawn was more than usual.
Osmeña cut short his regular press conference and went to the area because he wanted to see if no one was hurt.
Also at the scene were Vice Mayor Michael Rama and City Councilors Procopio Fernandez and Sylvan Jakosalem.
The suspects were described as young, tall and thin.
Go was on her way back to her office in Barangay San Nicolas when the robbery took place.
(December 18, 2004 issue)
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