Thursday, December 04, 2008 Heists in May, mall jewelry store likely carried out by members of same rob group By Jovy Taghoy-Gerodias Sun.Star Staff Reporter With Rene H. Martel
POLICE now have enough proof for filing robbery charges against three men identified as among the seven who robbed a shop inside a mall Tuesday afternoon of at least P1 million in jewelry.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador said that the seven suspects, not six as earlier reported, who victimized Golden Treasures – Best of Jewelry were members of an organized group.
“They have the equipment, the firearms, and the support,” he said.
Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) Chief Michael Anthony Bastes said in an interview over radio dyLA that the group is Mindanao-based. Some of the members were previously accosted by another police agency after their names were linked to another robbery in Cebu.
Both Bastes and Comendador agree that the manner of execution in the Golden Treasures robbery was similar to previous incidents, particularly the twin robbery of jewelry shops in Barangay Ermita last May.
They noticed a pattern—using long firearms, no masks to hide their faces, smashing display glass cases, boarding a car and later abandoning it.
Judging from how the heist was executed, Comendador said it was well-planned and proper casing on the establishment was done.
The jewelry shop owned by Albert Young is located very near the exit door of Mango Square Mall leading to the third floor’s parking area.
Comendador said the CCPO is now verifying the possibility that the suspects in Tuesday’s robbery and those behind the heist last May belong to the same robbery group.
Charges
Police, however, will file charges before the week ends, after witnesses identified the three suspects through the pictures shown to them.
The CCPO will release the names and photographs of the suspects once the complaint is filed before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.
Bastes, who was with Comendador in a news conference yesterday, said that based on the report given to him by the shop owner, the robbers took at least P1 million worth of jewelry.
Bastes said that of the seven suspects, six of them executed the heist; the seventh suspect drove the getaway vehicle.
During yesterday afternoon’s reenactment of the robbery, security guard Rudolph Anthony Ramos showed the TRS team how the heist was pulled off.
He said that before the robbery was announced, one man, who turned out to be one of the suspects, went inside the jewelry shop and pretended to be a customer.
Moments later, three armed men arrived and disarmed Ramos of his .38 revolver.
Two of the three men joined the one inside the store while another stayed with Ramos and told him to stay on the ground.
Two more men arrived, with one of them bringing the bag where the loot was placed.
The heist was over in three minutes.
Police later found the getaway vehicle, a white Nissan Sentra (GEG-907), abandoned along Ma. Cristina Ext., Barangay Camputhaw.
Comendador said he already ordered the investigating team led by Supt. Pablo Labra II to coordinate with the Land Transportation Office 7 to determine who owns the car.
Comendador, however, believes the car is stolen.
Line problem
On the police’s alleged failure to immediately take the call for assistance through the hotline 166, Comendador admitted there is a problem with the line.
Comendador said his office has already coordinated with the Cebu City Government and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Co. about the problem.
He said he learned that there was no problem with its connection with the PLDT but with the connection at City Hall.
The problem is making the City Government consider a more “intelligent and integrated emergency system” that is toll-free and could be accessed through any communication gadgets.
The plan to set up an emergency system similar to the US’ 911 hotline is hoped to be established in six months.
Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said he will meet with telecom companies next week to come up with a system that the hotline could be reached through landlines and cellular phones, even those that are without available loads, during emergency situations.
This early, he said, Globe Telecommunications and PLDT have signified interest to come up with such a system.
Edwin Dilao, Mobile Patrol Group base control operator, said that when they transferred to the City Hall building two years ago, they already noted problems with the system.
Six months ago, the problem worsened.
Dilao said that when there is a call, the MPG’s three active phones ring, but the caller only gets a dialtone when they pick up the phones.
Because line 166 is defective, he said that the MPG could be reached through telephone numbers 253-8303 to 04 or through text-a-crime hotline 0928-2903677.
Jakosalem said that with most people having cell phones, the police hotline should be accessible through such gadgets.
