Alleged leader of Bicutan mall break-in known

MANILA, Philippines - Police identified yesterday the alleged leader of a four-man team who robbed a jewelry store and threw a grenade in a mall in Bicutan last Sunday.

Parañaque City police chief Senior Superintendent Alfredo Valdez identified him as Guiller Manrosa, and clarified that the suspect and his cohorts are not members of the Martilyo (Hammer) Gang, as previously reported.

Manrosa – a resident of Taguig City and native of Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat – allegedly heads the Guiller gang, whose members are known for breaking into jewelry shops, Valdez said.

In a separate interview, Southern Police District (SPD) head Chief Superintendent Jose Arne de los Santos told The STAR that Manrosa’s identity was established after a mall security guard, who claimed seeing the suspect before the heist, identified his picture.

Police are closing in on Manrosa, said Valdez. “It’s just the physical custody that is missing. We already know his houses here and in the province,” he told The STAR.

Four men broke into the mall’s Oro China Jewelry Shop at around 8 p.m. on Sunday. After the robbery, one of them lobbed a grenade from the third floor to the first level and hurt six people, including a three-year-old.

De los Santos earlier said it may have been an inside job because the group only took the tray where the shop’s most expensive pieces of jewelry were stored. They have also created Task Force Hammer to spearhead the ongoing investigation.

As for possible bounty for any information that would lead to the suspects’ arrest, Valdez said he has yet to ask his superior.

One of Manrosa’s alleged cohort has also been identified as alias Ryan after witnesses said his photograph “resembled one of the men” seen in the footage of the mall’s closed-circuit television camera, said De los Santos.

According to Valdez, it was Manrosa who provided the police with Ryan’s cartographic sketch after his arrest seven months ago.

Last April 19, Manrosa was arrested at the same mall for robbing another jewelry store. He was charged but was released after posting P100,000 bail.

De los Santos called on the mall administration to beef up their security measures, saying the Christmas season is already approaching.

“When it comes to malls, it is their security guards who look after the people’s safety. We cannot afford to be lax here,” he said. – With Mike Frialde, Non Alquitran