Ex-army men tagged in Mandaue City heist

CEBU, Philippines - Former soldiers belonging to an Ozamis robbery gang previously neutralized by the police were allegedly responsible in the robbery of a cargo forwarding company in Mandaue City last Wednesday.

The information was revealed yesterday by Mandaue City Police Office director Sr. Supt. Noel Gillamac. The group is allegedly led by Reynante Paracuelles, a former member of the Philippine Army. Paracuelles was identified by witnesses as one of the four robbers who entered APL Corporation Pte. Ltd. and Logistics Philippines located at the corner of Andres Soriano Avenue and J. Briones St.

Aside from Paracuelles, the witnesses also identified another ex-army man Claudio Castillo. They were identified thru the footage taken from a CCTV camera and the pictures on police files.

Gillamac said the two are remnants of the Ozamis robbery group led by Junjun Cabando which was responsible in last year’s robbery of a roving bank teller at the Robinsons Mall in Cebu.

Gillamac said the two were also involved in big- time robberies such as the UCPB robbery in 2007, Landbank robbery in 2008, Market-market robbery in 2010, BDO SM Dasmariñas robbery in 2010. Castillo was wounded during a foiled robbery in Makati Avenue in 2009.

Paracuelles was identified by the two APL Logistics employees as the one who pointed guns at them while Castillo was the one who went inside the manager’s office.

The robbers carted away P360,000 cash from the company’s vault. They also took the employees’ bags and other personal belongings.

The bags were later recovered by cyclist Benjamin Espinosa in Barangay Busay. The bags which contain several IDs and checks amounting to P486,000 were turned over by Espinosa to a nearby TV station.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Intelligence Branch is sending personnel to help the Mandaue City police in the investigation.

PIB chief Supt. Rodolfo Albotra said there could be more suspects other than those who executed the robbery.

“Cases like these robbers were not neophytes and it was possible they have back-ups and lookouts who were keeping an eye to the five others,” Albotra said.

Albotra said three of the suspects are in their list of most wanted persons in Cebu. PIB has already furnished copies of their pictures to their counterpart in Mindanao.

He however said that based on their information the suspects are still in Cebu province. — (FREEMAN)