Security supervisor ID’d as Bulacan bank robber through facial mole

A security supervisor who robbed the bank he was supposed to guard ended up behind bars a day after the heist – no thanks to his telltale mole.

Gerardo Macapagal, 41, a supervisor of the Bagong Pag-Asa Security Agency, was arrested 24 hours after he allegedly robbed the bank he was tasked to secure in Baliuag, Bulacan.

Even though his face was covered with a helmet and a handkerchief, there was a dead giveaway to his identity – a telltale mole under his left eye.

“The security guard who was disarmed by the suspect was able to recall that the suspect had a mole on his face. From there, we asked him about the height, built, complexion. Our witness said, ‘I know this person,’” said Senior Supt. Ferdinand Divina, Bulacan police provincial director.

Macapagal, a resident of Candaba, Pampanga, was arrested on September 8 or a day after he allegedly robbed the Rural Bank of Pandi in Baliaug, Bulacan.

The suspect’s wife, Sally, worked in the same bank as a loan officer. Divina, however, said there was not enough evidence to conclude that there was a collusion between husband and wife.

“She will be the subject of an investigation but we don’t have evidence yet to conclude that she is an accomplice,” the police official said, adding that the wife would be subjected to a lie detector test.

The robbery happened after banking hours on September 7, at around 3:30 p.m. while the bank’s roll-up door was only half-closed.

A man wearing a helmet with a handkerchief accosted the duty security guard, Rowel Mallari, 40. Mallari said he was disarmed of his .38 revolver as the suspect forced his way in.

Once inside, the robber ordered the employees to lie on the floor as he took P338,460 from a cash box. At that time, the employees had not placed the cash inside the vault.

Divina said the bank alarm did not go off. The robber then fled on foot towards the DRT Highway in Barangay Pagala in Baliuag.

Even though the suspect’s face was covered, Mallari was able to remember the distinctive mole under the left eye, until he realized that he knew the man who disarmed him.

“By his recollection, there were times that Macapagal became Mallari’s supervisor at work, so he knew him,” Divina said.

Police investigators concluded that it was Macapagal who robbed the bank, 24 hours after the heist.

Policemen from the Baliuag police station went to the suspect’s residence in Barangay Talang, Candaba, on September 8, arresting him by 8 pm that day.

Out of the P338,460 robbed from the bank, P253,560 was recovered as the suspect had already used part of the money to buy car spare parts.

“Around 70 percent of the stolen cash was recovered, and this speaks of the honesty on part of our police operatives,” Divina said.

Also seized from the suspect were two .38 revolvers, 16 pieces of ammunition and several ID cards.

Divina said the bank heist was likely not an inside job although they recommended that Macapagal’s wife and the bank manager be subjected to lie detector tests.

“This is an administrative matter between the bank owner and the employees, so the police is out of it,” the police official added. Julie M. Aurelio