6 Manila cops held for alleged robbery in Makati City

MANILA, Philippines — Six police officers assigned to the Manila Police District (MPD) were arrested for allegedly holding up three victims in Makati City, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said.

The alleged incident took place along Arsonvel Street in Barangay San Isidro on Wednesday night, according to an initial police report.

The victims came from Malate, Manila and went to Arsonvel to pick up some belongings.

“However, when they arrived, a group of armed men suddenly pointed guns and forced [them] to lay down on the ground and tied [their] hands then forcibly took and carted away the victims’ belongings and fled afterward on board their motorcycles,” the police report explained.

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Authorities later caught the suspects through a hot pursuit in operation and the victims positively identified them.

A corrected version of the police report identified the suspects as a police staff sergeant, a police corporal and four patrolmen assigned to the MPD Police Station 9 Malate.

The police report initially identified five patrolmen.

The six police officers were taken into the custody of the Makati City Police Station, awaiting criminal charges for robbery as well as administrative charges leading to dismissal from the service, NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin said in a statement to the Inquirer on Thursday morning.

Aberin also confirmed that he relieved the commander of the Malate police station as well as the entirety of the station’s Drug Enforcement Unit pending investigation into the six officers’ alleged hold-up.

In an interview in Camp Crame later on Thursday, Aberin said, “They are assigned to the MPD, but they crossed over to Makati, which is another district. We know that, if you have a police operation in another district or another station, there must be proper coordination and submit an operational clearance beforehand.”

“In this instance, there was none of that. They had no coordination. They had no operational clearance to operate in the Southern Police District’s area of responsibility,” he added.

Also in Camp Crame on Thursday afternoon, National Police Commission (Napolcom) Executive Officer Rafael Calinisan told reporters that he ordered their Inspection, Monitoring and Investigation Service (IMIS) to open a parallel probe into the alleged incident.

Further, Calinisan said the victims are expected to file an administrative case against the six implicated officers before Napolcom on Friday, Jan. 30. /das /jpv