MANILA, Philippines—The robbers who stole more than P2 million worth of prepaid cell phone and SIM (subscriber identity module) cards from a delivery company in two separate incidents this year used the same vehicle in both operations, police said.

Case investigator Police Officer 3 Rogelio Basbas of the Quezon City Police District told the Inquirer yesterday that in both cases, the group which robbed the delivery trucks of Speedex International used a silver-gray Toyota Innova with a golden brown stripe painted on the sides of the vehicle.

“In the two incidents, no one was able to get the plate number of the van,” he said, adding that they were trying to look for the van.

Basbas noted that the men who hijacked a Speedex delivery truck in Lian, Batangas, in March were spotted on board an Innova of the same color. The vehicle also had a golden brown stripe painted on its sides.

During the heist, the men took from the truck around P1.5 million worth of prepaid cell phone cards.

Last week, another Speedex delivery truck lost to eight armed men around P1 million worth of electronic gadgets, prepaid cell phone and SIM cards, in addition to several boxes of medicine.

A police report said the truck was traveling on Valencia Street in Quezon City at around 9:45 a.m. on April 28 when it was blocked by a silver-gray Toyota Innova with a golden brown stripe.

Basbas noted that aside from having the same vehicle, the groups which staged the two robberies used the same modus operandi: They commandeered the delivery truck after ordering its driver and his helper to get into their van.

“The driver and the helper were told to board the van, then they were eventually released unharmed in an area where they could easily ask for help,” he said.

The victims later told the police that while they were inside the robbers’ van, the suspects continuously harassed and threatened them that they would be killed and their families would also be harmed if they were to report the incident to the police.

The robbers also took their identification cards, cell phones and wallets, the victims added.

The police earlier said they would conduct a deeper investigation into the robberies since this was the second time that the delivery firm was victimized.

“It could be an inside job or a tipster could be working in cahoots with the robbers,” Basbas said.