MANILA, Philippines — Four police officers were arrested while their civilian companion was killed in a shootout with lawmen after they allegedly broke into the house of a Japanese man in Pasig City at past midnight yesterday and stole at least P10 million.
Maj Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., director of the National Capital Region Police Office, sacked the policemen and vowed to punish them for their crime.
“I will make sure that cases will be filed against them and they will have to face the consequences of their actions. For sure, no stone will be left unturned,” he said in a statement.
A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to identify the police officers as follow-up operations were still ongoing to arrest two more suspects but said the four are all assigned in Taguig.
“We are still conducting an operation to locate the other suspects,” the source said in a phone interview.
The alleged robbery took place in Barangay Kapitolyo at around 12:10 a.m. wherein the policemen and the civilian forced their way into the Japanese’s home and held him and his parner at gunpoint.
The suspects went to the victim’s room and opened his vault.
The source said the policemen took at least P10 million in cash and gadgets from the house. They escaped on two motorcycles.
The Japanese alerted Pasig police officers who were on patrol in the area.
A shootout ensued, wherein the suspects’ civilian companion was killed.
One of the rogue policemen was wounded during the clash and brought to a hospital for medical treatment.
Danao confronted the three policemen at the Pasig police station, where they are being held on charges of robbery-extortion.
“I personally went to the police station to see the police officers involved. I cannot accept any excuses for this act,” he said.