The daring heist at a bank late Friday afternoon in Quezon City was so “quick and precise” that police probers surmise it was carried out by remnants of the notorious Ozamiz robbery gang.
The group, which is reportedly made up of ex-Kuratong Baleleng members, had hit a Banco de Oro branch in Cagayan de Oro in May.
Citing the suspects’ physical features, firearms and attire, a Quezon City Police District official said the Ozamiz gang’s “style” matched that of the robbers of the Bank of Philippine Islands branch on Commonwealth Avenue.
“As of now, our investigation indicates and points to that group, or its remnants,” said QCPD director Chief Supt. George Regis.
Regis on Saturday ordered the formation of a special investigation task group (SITG) that would focus on the incident, which is the first robbery case in Quezon City this year.
The SITG will be headed by Senior Supt. Arrazad Subong, deputy district director for administration, with vice chair Senior Supt. Rainier Idio, deputy district director for operations.
“We are coordinating and correlating details of the incident before, during and after the robbery, as well as the route of withdrawal of the robbers,” Regis said Saturday.
Representatives of other police units such as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the National Capital Region Police Office and the Highway Patrol Group are also part of the task group.
Asked about the identity of the Ozamiz’s group leader, Regis said they were still confirming the identity of the said leader who is reportedly known as “alias Alferes.”
He noted how the robbery was so organized and efficiently carried out by some 15 to 20 men armed with high powered firearms.
According to Chief Insp. Rodelio Marcelo of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, the actual robbery happened in less than four minutes with each member carrying out his role in clockwork precision.
“There seemed to be no one calling the shots while the heist was ongoing. Each suspect was doing his own part,” the police official said Saturday.
Almost all the suspects wore bonnets, except for one , Marcelo said. Police have come up with an artist sketch of the lone unmasked suspect.
Marcelo described the unmasked suspect, whose face was captured on the CCTV footage of the bank, as having a fair complexion, around 5’6” in height and was in his 30s.
“The assailants were all bulky and heavily built,” he added, noting that some even wore vests and bandoliers containing their ammunition.
The robbers were armed with high powered firearms such as M14s, M16s and even a M203 grenade launcher when they struck at the BPI Branch at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Don Antonio Street.
Regis said the heist happened at around 4:20 p.m. just when the bank was about to close for the day. The bank’s four security guards were overpowered.
Initial investigation revealed that the robbers were aboard three vehicles—a red Mitsubishi L300 with plate number USR 915, a blue Toyota Revo with XLV 583 and a green Mitsubishi Adventure.
Regis said nine suspects entered the bank’s basement entrance where deposits and bill payments were made.
“The robbers divested two tellers of their collections after which seven men went up to the ground level, which had more tellers,” the police official said.
Three other men entered through the ground level’s main entrance and together the 10 suspects at the ground level proceeded to rob the tellers of their collections, three cell phones and a laptop.
The robbers tried to open the bank vault which was protected by a time-delay lock, Regis added.
Luckily, a three-man detective patrol team led by Chief Insp. Wilfredo Alfonso of the Batasan police station happened to be driving by the bank.
Regis said the lookouts outside the bank engaged the patrolling cops in a firefight even while their cohorts were still inside the bank.
A four-man back up team arrived just minutes later but even with high-powered firearms, the policemen were no match to the 20-something robbers firing shots at the cops.
“Our policemen were only seven while the suspects were around 20,” Marcelo noted.
No one among the cops and robbers were injured, but the suspects fired at a car passing by the area, injuring four civilians who were rushed to the New Era Hospital for treatment.
Marcelo added that some lookouts seemed to be also acting as snipers, taking shots at cops and civilians alike.
“A suspect even stood along Commonwealth Avenue and brandished his firearm, as if to clear the lane for the get-away vehicles,” the police official said, citing witnesses’ accounts.
The last high-profile robbery in Quezon City was in September 2009 during which robbers divested an armored van in the Muñoz area.
“Perhaps it was only now that remnants of the groups were able to form a group and strike again,” Marcelo noted.
Regis said it was still unclear how much the suspects were able to cart away from the bank as the QCPD was still waiting for a final accounting from the BPI as of Saturday.
“We will cross match the recovered shells of the bullets with our police’s records,” he added.
Footage from a CCTV of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority nearby showed the getaway vehicles for quite a while before the heist, the QCPD chief said.
The robbers sped toward Quezon Memorial Circle, he said, adding that they will ask the other nearby establishments for their camera footage at the time of the heist.