Gang mugs ex-Army officer, locks up wife in QC robbery

Four armed men barged into the Quezon City home of a retired Army officer and his wife Monday morning and robbed them of nearly P500,000 worth of valuables and foreign currency.

The former officer was pistol-whipped while his wife was locked up in the bathroom before the group ransacked the household.

Investigators said former 2nd Lieutenant Avelino Saba and his wife Norma were later able to identify one of the robbers, the apparent leader of the group, in a rogues’ gallery provided by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD). The three other robbers wore ski masks, according to the elderly couple.

Police Officer 2 Richard Galvez of the QCPD’s Anonas station said the couple later pointed to a “Noel Maddela” out of the mug shots of suspects who had records at the station. Maddela was last arrested for a drug-related offense.

Galvez said the four men entered through the front gate of the victims’ residence in Barangay (village) East Kamias around 10:30 a.m. Monday.

When Avelino Saba tried to put up a fight, one of the intruders later identified as Maddela struck him three times with a pistol and ordered him to lie face down on the floor. The suspects then threatened to shoot him if he moved.

They then found Saba’s wife and forced her into the bathroom.

The loot included $7,900 in cash; two laptop computers; two external hard drives; a DVD player; two mobile phones; and two rings worth P10,000.

The robbers also fled with important documents belonging to the retired military officer, the couple told QCPD.

According to Galvez, police investigators are looking into the possibility that Maddela is part of the notorious Cuya robbery group which has been responsible for a spate of house robberies in the city.

The leader of the group, identified as Jonathan Cuya, remains at large, he said.