P1.7 million stolen as gunmen ambush bank employees in Bukidnon

MANOLO FORTICH, Bukidnon — Armed robbers carted away about P1.7 million in cash after attacking three employees of a rural bank along a highway in Barangay Damilag here on Wednesday morning, police said.Col. Oliver Sotto Navales, Bukidnon police director, said the employees of South Bank’s Libona branch were transporting the bank’s cash collections for deposit at the Land Bank branch here when their gray Toyota Vios was intercepted at around 9:40 a.m. along Camp Fabia Road in Sitio Miranda.

READ: Police foil bank robbery try in Taguig City, recover P7.4 million lootInitial investigation showed the suspects, aboard a Ford Ranger Wildtrak, blocked the victims’ vehicle and opened fire, forcing it into a roadside canal.The driver and an accompanying security guard returned fire but eventually ran out of ammunition, allowing the gunmen to approach the vehicle and seize a bag containing P1.677 million in cash collections, it added.The suspects fled toward Sayre Highway and remain at large.The three bank employees — a 30-year-old driver, a 26-year-old female employee, and a 21-year-old male employee — were unharmed despite the exchange of gunfire.Navales said that police operatives have launched a dragnet operation and are reviewing CCTV footage while pursuing leads to identify the suspects and determine whether the robbery was well-planned or an inside job.He urged anyone with information about the incident to coordinate with the nearest police station as the manhunt continues./coa