Cops kill 2 in payroll heist

Police killed yesterday two of four men who were robbing a vehicle of a shipping line that was set to deposit millions in a bank in Manila.

The killing of two unidentified suspects was the first major accomplishment of Metro police chief Director Vidal Querol in the fight against organized crime syndicates since he assumed his post Monday last week.

Querol said the suspects are members of the Abuyong Gang, tagged as behind the series of payroll robberies in Metro Manila and neighboring areas.

The Metro police chief ordered a massive manhunt against the two other gang members who escaped during the shootout.

Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas, intelligence chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said the gang was put under surveillance two weeks ago following reports that they were planning another heist.

Rojas said combined teams from the NCRPO and the Western Police District (WPD), headed by Inspector Auxilio Dador of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER), positioned themselves at the foot of the Del Pan bridge where the gang was supposed to stage the heist.

At around 2 p.m., a Toyota Tamaraw FX, which was carrying the suspects, blocked a multi-cab of Gothong Lines.

A suspect armed with an Armalite rifle rushed out and ordered the multi-cab occupants to hand over the bags they were carrying. The bags contained the collections of the shipping company.

At this point, Dador and his team identified themselves as policemen and ordered the suspects to put down their weapons and surrender.

The suspects, however, opened fire and a running gunbattle ensued.

The Metro police chief said not a single centavo was lost to the robbers. "There was only a small amount of cash in the bags as majority of the contents were checks," Querol said.

Querol commended Rojas, Dador and the WPD operatives for a job well done.