5 private high school students on robbery: Schoolmate bullied us into it

MANILA, Philippines - Five boys who were arrested for robbing a man in Quezon City Thursday night claimed they were bullied by a schoolmate into doing the crime, police said yesterday.

Police Officer 2 Jogene Hernandez said this was the alibi of the robbery suspects following their arrest, but noted that they could be lying so they would be off the hook.

Four of the boys are aged 15 and classmates at a private school while the fifth is aged 16 and studying at another private school. They were all released Friday night after their victim no longer wanted to file charges against them.

Anthony King Lozano, 28, said he did not press charges since he was able to get most of the items taken from him. He identified three of the boys as the ones who robbed him in Barangay Holy Spirit.

He told police he met two of the boys at a mall in Cubao to sell them load cards. The two boys told him they would meet with other persons interested in the items, but the supposed buyers did not appear.

While Lozano and the two boys were walking, three other boys – all wearing hoods and armed with a screwdriver and bread knives – robbed him of P10,000, his iPhone and iPad. They boarded a multi-cab.

Lozano sought help from a passing police patrol team, who caught the three boys at the Mabuhay Rotunda. The boys who accompanied Lozano were also taken into custody after they were found to be the robbers’ classmates.

Though Lozano’s gadgets were recovered, the money remains missing.