Police to examine bullets recovered from mall robbery

MANILA, Philippines—Police authorities will run a ballistic examination of the bullets recovered during last month’s robbery incident at a shop inside the Robinson’s Galleria to check if the bullets indeed came from the same firearms used by a particular organized crime group responsible for a series of robberies in Metro Manila, police said.

This after Task Force Galleria discovered that the slugs recovered in four robbery incidents this year and last year also came from the firearms used by the suspects who stormed the Sanrys Money Changer on the mall’s ground floor on March 29.

Chief Superintendent Mario de la Vega said the firearms recovered from Willy Enriquez and Erenio de la Cruz–the alleged suspects arrested in Lemery, Iloilo Monday evening—will undergo the test, as he believes that the two are members of the Ozamiz Robbery Group.

The Ozamiz group allegedly staged the robbery hold-up and shooting incidents in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu in June 2011, Western Union San Pedro, Laguna branch in July 2011, Cagayan de Oro City in August 2011 and at the Alabang Town Center at Muntinlupa City in February 2012, police said.

Philippine National Police spokesman, Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr, earlier said that Quezon City Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), along with Iloilo Police and Intel Operatives of Region 6, raided the “safe house” of the suspects in Iloilo around 8 p.m. Monday.

Arrested were Enriquez and de la Cruz. Enriquez was found in possession of a caliber .45 pistol with serial number 548237 and Cruz, a caliber .38 revolver with defaced serial number.

One was killed and six others were injured in the robbery at the shop inside the mall.