Floods fail to stop robbers in P5-million QC hijack

Deep floods and a heavy rain did not stop a group of robbers from hijacking a 14-wheel truck carrying around P5 million worth of tires.

Benjamin Catugal, an employee of Bridgestone tires, told the police that the theft took place around 3:30 a.m. in Quezon City in the midst of a heavy downpour.

He said that he and his companions were traveling on Gilmore Street in the 14-wheel truck when a Kia van blocked their path.

Seven armed men alighted from the vehicle and got on their truck, he added.

Catugal told the police that he and his companions were taken to the back of the truck where they were tied up and covered with a piece of tarpaulin. The truck then started moving again.

After what seemed like several hours, Catugal felt the truck come to a stop. He then heard one of the robbers ask, “Is it deep?” apparently referring to the floodwater.

“We had been moving around for hours and I thought we were already in Bulacan but it turned out we were still in Manila,” Catugal said.

He and his companions later found out that they had stopped on Alvarez Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila, which at that time was submerged in deep floodwaters due to the strong rains.

Catugal said that he and his companions saw this as a chance to escape.

“I grabbed one of the robbers’ guns. We grappled for it. I managed to reach the lock [at the back of the truck], opened the door and jumped out,” he added. Nancy C. Carvajal