Parañaque cops launch hunt for Western Union robbers

MANILA, Philippines— Parañaque City police are on the lookout for six men who held up a money courier in the city Tuesday morning, the city police chief said.

Senior Superintendent Billy Beltran said a Western Union branch on Dr. A. Santos Avenue and Lopez Street in Sucat, Paranaque was robbed by six men around 11 a.m. who made off with roughly P60,000 cash.

He said the robbers escaped on three motorcycles and sped off towards Las Piñas area.

“Nakasagupa nila ang mobile units natin. Wala namang pulis na nasugatan pero basag basag lang salamin ng mobile natin (Our men in mobile car encountered the robbers. No policeman was hurt but the car’s windshield was shattered),” Beltran said.

Beltran, meanwhile, said in a radio interview that two of the suspects have already been identified by Western Union’s teller and security guard, saying that one of them made a transaction Monday.

He was positively identified based on a copy of an identification card that he was made to submit during the transaction.

Beltran said one of the two suspects who entered the establishment posed as customer. But when the attention of one of them was called by the security guard, the other suspect pointed a gun at the security officer.

Western Union didn’t have a security camera inside, he said, but added that authorities are set to review cameras of nearby establishments.

He said the suspects were armed with an M16 and a caliber .45 pistol based on the slugs recovered from the scene.