Cop-led robbery gang busted in Pampanga

MABALACAT CITY—A robbery group, which turned out to be led by a policeman, was busted after it robbed the house of a British man and a Filipino woman, and took their brand new sport utility vehicle in Porac town, Pampanga province, on Friday night.

In a report on Sunday, the Pampanga provincial police office identified the suspects as PO1 John Paul Tanglao, 25, and Joey Guiao, 46, both residents of the City of San Fernando, and Dennis Bigeras, 36, and Mark Navarro, 25, both residents of Angeles City.

Tanglao is assigned to the Regional Public Safety Battalion 3 at the Central Luzon regional police headquarters in Camp Olivas in the City of San Fernando.

Supt. Juritz Rara, public relations officer of the Pampanga police, said the suspects rented a Toyota Fortuner in nearby Angeles City and drove to the house of Nigel Witty and Suzette Soriano in Barangay (village) Sta. Cruz in Porac.

Wearing a Philippine National Police light blue athletic shirt and armed with an M-16 Armalite rifle, Tanglao and his cohorts allegedly forcibly entered the house of the victims and divested them of their belongings at gunpoint.

A resident saw the suspects when they entered the house and noticed that one of them was carrying a rifle. The resident called the attention of Porac police, which, in turn, coordinated with the intelligence branch of the Pampanga police.

Policemen and members of the special weapons and tactics team of the provincial police went to Porac and arrested the suspects as they were about to leave on board their rented vehicle and the victims’ Toyota Fortuner.

The suspects are facing charges of armed robbery and car theft. Jun Malig, Inquirer Central Luzon