Highway robbery gang strikes thrice in Surigao Sur

MANILA, Philippines—Police are hunting down a robbery group who staged three daylight highway robberies in Surigao del Sur Thursday.

A police spokesman said Friday that the robbers carted away roughly P60,000 and other valuables.

Superintendent Martin Gamba said three vehicles—a silver Isuzu Fuego Pick-up (KCA-996) owned by FS Borja trucking Company; a ten-wheeler DT Saddam Dump Truck (RLY 574) owned by JTP Trucking; and a black XRM single motorcycle (LM 4716)—were flagged down and robbed by five unidentified men on the National Highway near Goldamier, Barangay (village) Adlay, Carrascal, Surigao del Sur around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Gamba said initial investigation showed Jayson Irrezari was driving the Isuzu Fuego toward Taganito village in Claver with his companion Jeffrey Semiros when they were stopped and divested at gun-point by five men wearing beret and brandishing an M-14, a caliber .45 pistol, a caliber .38 revolver and a sharp bolo.

The robbers ordered Irrezari and Semiros  to get off the vehicle soon after they declared the heist and took the victims’ P29,OOO and mobile phones, he said.

After pulling off the first robbery, the group raided the 10-wheeler DT Saddam Dump Truck driven by Genson Acevedo along with his passenger Harold Arreza. Taken from them were a cellular phone, a USB memory stick, and a bag containing an ICOM handheld radio.

Their co-workers identified as Eddie Salcedo and Gilbert Lumayno who were on another truck, were also stripped of their bags. One of the bags contained the trip ticket, Gamba said.

And for the third time, the group targeted an employee of the Department of Public Works and Highways identified as Engineer Alwin Kindica.

While driving his black XRM motorcycle toward Surigao City that same day, Kindica was flagged down and lost P28,000 to the robbers, Gamba said. – Jamie Marie Elona