CEBU CITY – The armed men who robbed four jewelry shops and a money changer inside a mall in Mandaue City over the weekend was the same group that robbed two pawnshops in a Bacolod City mall last August.
Police Col. Roderick Mariano, chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, said some of the arrested suspects in the Mandaue robbery admitted their participation in the Bacolod heist where P4.5-million worth of jewelry was stolen.
“They made the confession during our tactical investigation. We are further investigating to identify their cohorts,” said Mariano.
In the Mandaue robbery, police were able to arrest nine suspects, four of them were killed after they allegedly fought back with the police, who were supposed to bring them to the Bogo City Police Station.
Eight of the nine suspects were arrested aboard a Masbate-bound vessel in Polambato Wharf in Bogo past 11 p.m. or some four hours after the robbery last Saturday.
Killed were Kevin Plaza Andales, 25, of Tangub City; Wilfredo Suerte Enguito, 47, of Tangub City; Philip Faburada of Tondo, Manila, and Glen Tairos, 47, of Talisay City, Cebu.
Andales, Enguito, and Faburada were shot by policemen after they allegedly tried to grapple for firearms on their way to the police station.
Police said Tairos was the leader of the robbery gang. He was in the vicinity of the wharf when pursuing policemen arrived.
Tairos was killed after shooting it out with the police.
During the arrest, police recovered P345,000 cash, a .38 caliber revolver, a. 45 caliber pistol, two chisels, and two glass cutters from them.
Police also recovered a Toyota Innova car and four motorcycles that the suspects used as get-away vehicles.
Col. Ildebrandi Usana, deputy regional director for administration of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7), said a hot-pursuit operation was ongoing against the remaining suspects.
The remaining suspects who remain at large were identified only as Tony Boy, Ryan, Mark, and Ranger.
Usana added that security guards of J-Center Mall were also considered as “persons of interest” after the armed robbers were able to enter the mall without being detected.
Police have yet to recover the P130-million loot.
Police Capt. Marvin Fegarido, chief of the Subangdaku Police Station chief, said R20-million worth of jewelry was stolen from Ginros Gem and Jewelry while Oro China Wedding and Engagement Rings lost P10-million worth of jewelry.
M. Lhuillier Jewelers and Jay-Ann Jewelry each lost P50 million worth of jewelry.
Police said the robbers also took P6-million cash from IChange Money Forex, a money changer shop.
The shops were located on the first floor of the mall. (Calvin Cordova)
