Jeepney driver, 5 cohorts rob passengers blind in Pasay City

Six holdup men who apparently forgot to bring masks to hide their identities ordered jeepney passengers to shut their eyes before robbing them blind of close to P40,000 worth of valuables Thursday morning in Pasay City.

The holdup men which included the jeepney driver later dropped off their victims on Roxas Boulevard as they fled with their loot in the public utility vehicle (TXT 206) plying the Divisoria-Pasay Rotunda route.

Chief Insp. Joey Goforth, Pasay City Police Station Investigation and Detective Management section head, said the robbery happened between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. yesterday on Park Avenue, Barangay 13, Zone 4.

Three of the victims told the police that when they got on the jeepney separately, 10 people were already on board, including the driver.

Change in route

They added that instead of driving straight through Taft Avenue, the driver of the passenger jeepney turned right on Libertad Street and then straight on to Park Avenue.

At this point, five men and the jeepney driver announced the heist and ordered all the passengers to close their eyes while instructing them to fork over all their valuables.

One of the victims said she lost P4,000 in cash, a digital camera worth P7,000, a wristwatch valued at P3,000 and two cell phones worth P5,000.

A worker of a fast-food restaurant told the police that he was robbed of P5,000 in cash, a cell phone worth P1,500, a silver necklace valued at P4,500 and a P1,200 wristwatch. He said the holdup men also made off with his uniform.

Another victim said she lost a cell phone worth P4,900.

After their valuables were taken from them, the victims were ordered to get out of the passenger jeepney on the northbound lane of Roxas Boulevard from across the Department of Foreign Affairs office.

The jeepney driver then drove off toward the Buendia flyover, apparently headed for Manila.

Barangay officials found the distraught passengers and accompanied them to the Pasay City Police.  Only three of the seven victims, however, formally filed a robbery complaint before the police.

Goforth said they were conducting follow-up operations for the arrest of the robbers as well as the recovery of the stolen items.