Maguindanao Electric Coop loses P1.6M in robbery

• Source: http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/08/28/maguindanao-electric-coop-loses-p1-6m-in-robbery/
• Monday, August 31, 2015

By Ferdinandh B. Cabrera (MindaNews)

DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao (MindaNews) — An armed robber ran away with P1.6 million in cash from a van owned by the Maguindanao Electric Cooperative (Magelco) on Thursday afternoon, police said.

Senior Insp. Lendsy Sinsuat, Datu Odin police station chief, said the incident happened at past 3:30 p.m. in Sitio Katalungan, Barangay Datu Pinguiaman in this town.

Basit Beneto, the van’s security escort, told police the unidentified gunman emerged at the back of the Toyota D4D van while on the way to Magelco’s office in Barangay Awang of this town.

Beneto was traveling along with Hanah Malang, Magelco cashier, and Jerome Romuar, the driver.

The gunman pointed his .45 pistol at the passengers and ordered Malang to tie the driver and let the escort drive the vehicle.

The gunman later covered the victims’ eyes with duct tapes, grabbed the money from the cashier’s bag worth 1.6 million pesos and fled.

Local police found duct tapes and a toy hand grenade inside the van.

No one could tell in what direction the gunman fled no witness had surfaced so far.

The employees who rode the van came from various sub-offices of Magelco in Maguindanao to get collection money. The last town they visited was Datu Piang.

“They said they were unaware of the fourth person who concealed himself at the back seat of the vehicle. How come he came inside puzzles us; that is subject of our deeper investigation” Sinsuat said.

The Magelco management has yet to issue a statement on the incident.