Abandoned in Paknaan, Mandaue: Getaway car owned by cop?

CEBU, Philippines — As the investigation into the twin heists at jewelry stores on Calderon Street in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City progresses, a silver/gray Mitsubishi Adventure allegedly registered to a police officer assigned in Luzon was revealed yesterday by the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) as one of the getaway vehicles used by the robbers on August 8, 2024.

The vehicle, with plate number DAB 5200, was recovered in Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City last night.

Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, spokesperson of Cebu City Police Office, said that footages from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) of several private establishments show that the vehicle was parked near the crime scene.

Security footages also revealed that two of the suspected robbers on motorcycles went near the vehicle and left the bags believed to contain the P14-million jewelry they got from Macy’s Jewelry Store and D’Gold Chain (DGC) Jewelry Store few minutes after the heist.

After the hit, the vehicle was allegedly seen in several areas in Cebu City. It also went to Talisay City then return to Cebu City before it was last spotted in Mandaue City.

As of press time, no details were available on the recovery of the vehicle which was allegedly abandoned in Barangay Paknaan.

The SITG confirmed that they have identified and contacted the owner of the vehicle but refused to provide details. A reliable source told The Freeman the vehicle was registered to a policeman assigned in Luzon but claimed he already sold the vehicle. Incidentally the police officer was reportedly on leave when the robbery took place.

Macatangay, however, refused to neither confirm nor deny the information. She said their concentration for now is to identify and arrest the robbers.

Aside from the Mitsubishi Adventure, the robbers were also using three motorcycles as getaway vehicles—one of the motorcycles was recovered on August 9 abandoned on P. Burgos Street, few blocks away from the crime scene.

A check by the police revealed the motorcycle was not stolen but has been transferred to at least five different owners already.

“It was not stolen, it changed ownership several times but we want to determine who is the last buyer dredging from the current information that we have right now," said Macatangay.

Investigators are still collecting additional evidence and information against possible persons of interest (POIs) and are working to determine which pieces of evidence are most relevant to the case. — (FREEMAN)