Security exec tagged in Quezon City mall heist

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is tracing the whereabouts of a high-ranking security official who allegedly provided “inside information” to at least 20 robbers who staged a daring robbery of an armored van at a Quezon City mall Tuesday.

At the same time, investigators from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) have identified at least two of the robbers, tagged as members of two gangs – the Alvin Flores and the Waray-Waray groups.

NCRPO chief Director Roberto Rosales said the security official was also instrumental in at least six bank heists in Metro Manila the past months, reportedly by the Alvin Flores, Waray-Waray and Ampang Colangco gangs.

“We are coordinating with the bank to determine whether the security guard is still under their employ and determine what role he played in the armored van robbery in Quezon City last Tuesday,” said Rosales.

 “We are still in the process of verifying the information given us by our informant.”

Rosales created two crack police teams headed by Superintendent Leo Francisco, of the NCRPO’s regional police intelligence and operation unit (RPIOU) to track down the suspects, who fled to the provinces after taking four duffel bags of money from the armored van. The money was collected by a bank at stalls in the Waltermart shopping center in Quezon City.

The NCRPO chief refused to reveal the name of the security official and the bank pending the results of a probe to establish his link to the robbers, who shot at the van using high-powered guns and left several people wounded.

Francisco is coordinating with the QCPD, which formed several police tracker teams to hunt down the robbers, to prevent mis-encounters among lawmen.

Meanwhile, the QCPD said two of the robbers were suspected to be former police officers or soldiers, while two others were identified as members of the Alvin Flores gang through the city police’s rogue’s gallery.

One witness said one of the robbers wore a Criminal Investigation and Detection Group vest, described to be around 45 years old, with heavy build and fair complexion and height of about 5’8”.

The other suspect was described to be in his late 30s, has a slim build, wearing a police uniform and combat shoes and carrying an Armalite rifle.

Police have yet to locate the owner of a gold Toyota Revo the robbers abandoned in Marilao, Bulacan. A Ford Expedition, which the robbers used before they transferred to the Revo, has no records with the Land Transportation Office.