JOE MENDOZA
Aurora news desk
AURORA, ZAMBOSUR—Five suspected robbers, one of them a military man, were arrested in Brgy. Romarate by police during a hot pursuit operation after a gasoline alley robbery last week.
Police Inspector Gilzen Niño Manese, along with members of the TMG and the military arrested Leo Agustin, Tony Basmayor, Andy Signar, Willy Manais, Miraflor Caylan.
Agustin is a resident of Brgy. Prensa, Tangub, and Caylan is from Iligan City while all the other suspects are residents of Clarin, Misamis Occidental.
Agustin was believed to be the mastermind of the group as police recovered from his wallet an identification card which said that he was a former member of 55th IB.
The group’s getaway vehicle, a blue KIA Besta passenger van, was declared by police as a kolorom.
Facts of the robbery incident stated that noontime of July 26, the group, all crammed inside the passenger van, pretended to buy gasoline at the Sea Oil Gasoline station, located along the national highway of Brgy. San Jose.
The said gasoline station was owned by barangay kagawad Gallant Enrique Cabahug.
One of the suspects, whom police did not elaborate who, immediately drew his handgun, pointed it to the owner and ordered him to get inside the cashier’s room.
The other suspects then alighted from the van and ordered the pump girls to follow inside, then carted away an undetermined amount of cash, boarded their vehicle and went straight towards the direction of Lanao del Norte.
A prompt call to the police station only took minutes to flag down the vehicle and arrest the suspects.