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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Slain guard was 'the inside man' in heist
CEBU CITY -- The slain security guard was the "mole" in the P1-million heist of a distribution company last Monday, said the chief of the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
"He was the inside man but we was double-crossed. He was killed to remove the link," TRS Chief Alexis Relado said in a press conference Tuesday.
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He was referring to Edgar Embolode Sr., 33, the security guard who was shot dead by one of the five men who robbed Dranix Distributors Inc. on N. Bacalso Ave. Ext. in Barangay Basak-San Nicolas, Cebu City last Monday.
Relado said Embolode opened the gate for the robbers and allowed the grey Light Ace van to enter the compound.
The security guard knew which key will open the main door of the administrative office. The robbers knew they had to open a huge vault and brought with them equipment to do so.
There were no signs of forced entry. Embolode also requested that he be transferred to a night shift from November last year to January this year.
Relado said he asked the National Bureau of Investigation 7 to conduct a background check on Embolode.
The police are also looking into the angle that disgruntled employees may have also helped in the robbery.
Embolode's mother, Florencia Quiling, 49, in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu last Monday, said she hopes the company will help her pay for the burial expenses of her son.
Dranix's general manager Rizal Co, when sought for comment also last Monday, said the company is willing to extend assistance to Embolode's family.
Embolode and security guard Edgardo Tabuigi were on nightshift duty when the five robbers arrived shortly before 1 a.m. last Monday.
Relado said the task force made up of the TRS and the Homicide Section has possible identities of the perpetrators.
Relado said a sticker tag found in the backpack left at the scene shows that the robbers passed the Surigao City port, indicating that they are not local boys.
The sticker, Relado said, came from the Philippine Ports Authority in Surigao, so the backpack may have been inspected at the port area.
Also found inside the backpack were two crowbars, a kitchen knife and an adjustable wrench.
Tabuigi, 32, earlier told police investigators that he was on foot patrol when he heard Embolode call him back to the guardhouse because a team from the Firearms Explosives Security Agency and Guards Supervisory Section (Fesagss) wanted to do an inspection.
He said he saw five men in police uniform near the guardhouse plus two more near a van that was parked outside.
Tabuigi narrated how he was later told to close his eyes while two people pushed him inside the guardhouse.
He then heard two shots and the next thing he knew Embolode was already slumped on the ground.
The five men proceeded to the administration office, using Tabigui as their guide.
They tied the hands and feet of Tabigui with a masking tape and pushed him on the ground.
The robbers used an acetylene torch to open the vault and grab the cash inside.
Relado said Tabuigi will serve as a witness although he is not yet off the hook.
"We have asked for his full cooperation in the investigation and required him to come to our office every day," Relado said.
Acting CCPO Chief Patrocinio Comendador, in a separate interview, said there is not enough proof to link Tabuigi to the robbery.
Tabuigi was earlier made to under a lie detector test and paraffin exam to determine if he had fired his service .38 revolver.
The gun used by the robbers in killing Embolode was 9mm pistol based on the two empty shells found at the crime scene.
The five culprits said that they were policemen and members of "Magdalo." But Comendador said this was part of their tactic to mislead investigators. (JST of Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (January 31, 2007 issue)
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