OFW's rob-slay caught on tape

MANILA, Philippines - Police investigators are examining footage taken by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera of the rob-slay of a seaman in Malate, Manila yesterday morning.

Edralin Amon, 49, a third mate of a foreign-based company, died at the Ospital ng Maynila while undergoing treatment for a gunshot wound in the temple. He lost a gold necklace with a pendant and a gold bracelet to two robbers, according to case investigator PO3 Jonathan Ruiz.

A witness told police he and the victim were talking in front of the Marian Townhouse along Singalong street in Malate when they noticed two men on a motorcycle pass by, guns tucked into their waistbands.

The witness said the two men came back, got off the motorcycle and, with drawn guns, grabbed Amon’s necklace. The witness said he ran away and later heard a gunfire.

The CCTV camera installed at the main gate of the building, where Amon resided while waiting for his overseas assignment, caught the incident on video.

Both robbers remain unidentified since they wore full-face helmets. Police said one robber was stocky and had a protruding belly, while the driver of the motorcycle had a medium build.

Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo, who heads the homicide section of the Manila Police District, said he will request a copy of the video to examine it frame by frame.

Margarejo said they are eyeing robbery as the motive for the attack. “However, we still have to interview the victim’s relatives and other witnesses if the victim had been receiving threats lately,” he said.