Pangasinan cops thwart rob try on Taiwanese couple

STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan, Philippines  – The timely arrival of alert policemen foiled a robbery-holdup attempt on a Filipina-balikbayan from Taiwan with her Taiwanese husband who had just arrived in the country when three suspects tailed them on their way home in Barangay Matic-matic this town.

Superintendent Eric Noble, the town police chief, told The STAR yesterday that victims Merian de Dios Tai, 32 and her husband Tai Tung Chien, with their driver Willy Naranja were on board a Toyota Innova on Maundy Thursday when they noticed a gray Chevrolet tailing them all the way from Tarlac province to their residence here.

When the couple were about to enter their parking lot, the driver of the Chevrolet (ZJL 747) driven by one Eric del Rosario, 53, resident of 345 Iberco Drive, La Mediteran­nian, Dasmariñas, Cavite and also of 96-A Matahimik Street, UP Teachers Village, Quezon City, together with two other suspects, suddenly entered their premises and attempted to holdup the victims.

Policemen stationed nearby a police community precinct immediately rushed to the scene after receiving a phone call but the two other unidentified suspects fled and Del Rosario was the only one apprehended.

Noble said Del Rosario posed as a Marines captain and had various identification cards. 

The vehicle used by the suspects didn’t have the necessary papers of ownership and the police requested the assistance of the Traffic Management Group to check if it was a “hot car.” Noble lauded his men for this accomplishment, adding that this was what Governor Amado Espino Jr. emphasized to various police chiefs during their command conference on Tuesday for them to be vigilant against akyat bahay, robbery hold up incidents especially involving balikbayans.