By Jhunnex Napallacan, Rene F. Alima, Kit Bagaipo
Cebu Daily NewsHe eluded police for months but on Tuesday night, robbery gang leader Casimiro “Meloy†Garcia was finally captured with a wounded cohort in a beach cottage on Panglao Island, Bohol province.
Garcia had just finished his latest caper, a P90,000 bank heist in Tagbilaran City and was trying to make a quick getaway.
The gang leader was arrested past 7 p.m. in a cottage of the Dumaluan Beach Resort where he had gone with Gelvin Nuez, who was still bleeding from a gunshot wound in his right hand.
Police said the two men were carrying P33,000 cash in P1,000-bills. It was not clear what happened to the rest of the loot taken from the Philippine Bank of Commerce (PBC) branch in Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, where a shootout resulted in the death of one security guard.
The suspects did not resist arrest, according to police, who seized an Ingram assault rifle, three fully loaded magazine and one 9 mm loaded magazine from the beach cottage.
Several citizens tipped off police about the suspicious movements of the gang. The guard at the Dumulauan resort noticed their arrival. The driver of a van-for-hire used in the getaway texted police after noticing one his passengers was a wounded man.
Police authorities said they scored a victory with the arrest of Garcia, whose gang was earlier tagged responsible for a string of daring daylight robberies in Metro Cebu and Bohol province.
The robbery gang led by Garcia was earlier linked to the August 13 robbery of La Nueva supermarket in Cebu City and the August 21 robbery of Pen Bank in Mandaue City.
A third suspect, Cresencio Reguya, was arrested on Tuesday after he was wounded in the shootout outside the PBC bank and was left behind by his gang mates.
Reguya was earlier named in robbery charges filed in connection with the P2.7 million robbery of La Nueva supermarket.
Before noon on Tuesday, six armed men held up the PBC branch in Tagbilaran City. Their modus operandi bore similarities with the La Nueva supermarket heist, where robbers timed their attack for the arrival of a bank vehicle carrying cash collections.
In the Bohol heist, the robbers sprung to action after a PBC vehicle, a Mitsubishi Adventure, had finished picking up cash collections from client establishments and returned to the bank at about 11:45 a.m. The vehicle had just collected deposits from Unitop and DES Marketing, two separate stores in Tagbilaran City.
When the bank teller disembarked from the vehicle, the robbers grabbed the collection, a bag containing P90,000 cash and checks and started firing.
Robbers immediately fired shots at 38-year-old security guard Remegio Cañizar, the escort who stepped out of the vehicle.
Cañizar, an employee of the Pacific World Security agency, died on the spot from a gunshot to the back of the head.
Two other security guards came out of the bank, gave chase and returned fire. They were able to hit one of the suspects, Reguya, who was injured in the back and left arm. The security guards, Tirso Fullido and Meliton Lamoste, were also injured.
Reguya, who uses the alias “Brutsâ€, is a native of Barangay (village) Magsaysay, Talibon, Bohol. He first lied about his identity and gave police a false name with a Cebu City address but authorities saw through the ruse. He gave his real name later at the hospital.
Chief Inspector Jacinto Cesar, chief of police of Tagbilaran, said the injured security guards and Reguya were taken to the Governor Celestino Gallares Hospital in Tagbilaran City for treatment.
Some Bohol officials, meanwhile, complained about reports referring to the suspects as belonging to the “Bohol robbery group,†a term used by police investigators. The use of the label was offensive to peace-loving Boholanos and gave the province a negative image, said the officials.
During police interrogation, Reguya claimed that Meloy Garcia was in Davao and did not participate in yesterday’s robbery. Police said he was able to mention names of his cohorts, Roy Fernandez from Mindanao and Albert Almedilla from San Miguel, Bohol.
Police said they continued to conduct hot pursuit operations for the remaining robbery gang members, who may have used pumpboats to leave Bohol.
Edwin Amahan, area manager of the Bank of Commerce in the Visayas, said the robbers actually left behind the bigger portion of the loot.
Amahan said that while the robbers initially grabbed the money representing collections from two client pick-ups, they left behind the bulk during the shootout.
“Gamay ra kaayo nga kwarta kay nakuha unta nila ang tanan, nahabilin man ug na-retrieve man. May nakuha, it’s less than P100,000â€, he said.
He assured that the cash deposit was insured and that bank operations resumed a few hours after the heist.
While all bank branches have security cameras, Amahan pointed out that the heist took place outside the bank premises.
Amahan said it was up to the police to solve the crime now.
“Sa nahitabo sa Tagbilaran makaingon mi nga gibarugan gyud sa among mga security guards ang ilang trabaho kay nakig-away man gyud sila sa mga hold-uppersâ€, Amahan said.There were conflicting reports about the number of robbers involved. The police first reported three, but Major Cesar later said there were six in the operation and that the suspects used three motorcycles. /With a report from Chito Aragon
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