P2.8-M cash, jewelries stolen from BARMM lawmaker’s house recovered

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Policemen on Friday, August 30, recovered P2.8 million worth of cash and jewelry from two men in a group that robbed the house in Cotabato City of a member of the Bangsamoro parliament four weeks ago.

Col. Joel Estaris, Cotabato City police director, told reporters on Saturday that their operatives had seized the amount and jewelry from the two robbers, Bandar Karon and Rodz Musa Saro, who also took mobile phones kept in the house of the lawyer Sittie Fahanie Oyod, a member of the 80-seat Bangsamoro parliament.

They surrendered to the city police when they learned that they had been subjected to a manhunt after probers had found out that they were among at least nine people involved in the heist.

The now detained Karon and Saro and their cohorts were allegedly led by a soldier, Cpl. Saddam Mustapha, in perpetrating the robbery attack while Oyod and her spouse were in Metro Manila.

They reportedly took then more than P10 million worth of cash and other valuables from the safety vault of the couple that they managed to open forcibly. 

Mustapha, who reportedly belongs to a unit of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, is detailed as Oyod’s security escort.

Radio reports here stated that Mustapha is now in the custody of his superiors, to be turned over soon to the Cotabato City police.

Estaris said they have also confiscated five new motorcycles that the robbers had procured in recent weeks using the money that they stole from the house of the Bangsamoro regional lawmaker.