Slain bank robbers still unidentified

The two suspected bank robbers who were killed in a shootout with police operatives in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Friday remain unidentified, even as investigators lamented the refusal of a hospital, where the victims were taken, to release the bodies for autopsy.

The slain suspects, described as in their early 30s, with one having tattoos of an anchor on his arm, a heart on flame on his chest and a skull on flame on his back, are currently at the morgue of the UST Hospital.

Both succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

According to officer-on-case PO2 Joseph Kabigting, the hospital staff would not release the victims’ cadavers for autopsy unless these are claimed by their relatives.

Police investigators said an immediate autopsy is paramount to determine how the victims were shot. As per rules on investigations, the hospital has only six hours to hold on to the cadaver while awaiting claimants.

After six hours, the cadaver should be released to the hospital’s accredited funeral parlor for police autopsy.

A staff of the hospital morgue told The STAR in a phone interview that their medico legal officer had agreed to release the two cadavers only to an unnamed police officer.

Homicide investigators of the Manila Police District denied talking to the hospital’s medico legal officer. "Why should we talk to him when it is the standing policy of every hospital to subject victims of killings to an autopsy?"

Police said the victims were killed in a shootout with operatives of the Anti-Organized Crimes and Businessmen’s Concern Division of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) based in Camp Crame.

A stakeout operation was hatched following information that a robbery group was planning to rob the Equitable-PCIBank branch at the corner of Rizal Avenue and Batangas street in Sta. Cruz last Friday.

The agents spotted four suspects at the vicinity of the bank. When they tried to accost the suspects, two of them opened fire at the policemen. The two other suspects escaped.

Witnesses, however, said no shootout took place.

A Camp Crame report said agents recovered a caliber .38 revolver and a caliber .357 revolver from the slain suspects.