ILOILO City – The robbers who stormed four jewelry shops and a money changer inside a mall in Mandaue City, Cebu over the weekend was the same group that robbed two jewelry shops in this city last August.
Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director Colonel Henry Biñas confirmed this yesterday, saying that some of the arrested suspects in the Mandaue robbery admitted their participation in the Bacolod heist where P4.5 million worth of jewelry was stolen.
According to Biñas, after receiving the news about the recent incident, he immediately contacted officials from the Cebu Police Provincial Office due to similarities between the two robberies.
He later received a phone call from Mandaue City Police Office personnel, who informed him that one of the suspects claimed to have been involved in the Gaisano City Mall robbery, which was led by Ozamiz City crime group leader Marlon ‘Ailon’ Parojinog.
Biñas refused to name the suspect pending the filing of criminal cases but said he notified former BCPO deputy director, Police Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Borromeo, as he was the one handling the case in Bacolod City.
“Following the admission, preparations for the filing of appropriate charges began as they will seek an arrest warrant in order for the suspect to be brought to Bacolod City to face trial,”added the BCPO chief.
Last August, Parojinog and seven other suspects entered Gaisano City Mall and purchased several hammers and hard objects.
The group then targeted jewelry displays inside the mall by smashing them with the said hammers, while another suspect allegedly drew a firearm and fired several shots.
The suspects managed to cart away around P4.5 million worth of jewelry.
Meanwhile, 15 men simultaneously conducted a robbery at the J Centre Mall in Mandaue City, whose method was smashing glass displays and escaping by riding several vehicles.
However, it remains unclear if Parojinog was also among the suspects in the recent robbery but Cebu Provincial Police Office speculate the suspects carted away more than P136 million in cash, jewelry, and mobile phones.
The suspects were identified as Roel Sumingit, Julivyn Quirante, Arnel Cimafranca, Kevin Andales and Wilfredo Enguito from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental; James Gomez from Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental; Jun Candelaria from Naga City, Bicol; Philip Faburada from Tondo, Manila; and Glen Tairos, the suspected leader of the group, from Talisay City, Cebu./PN
