NCRPO foils bank robbery in Manila; 3 suspects nabbed

By U.S. News Agency / Asian

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Nicanor Bartolome announced on Thursday the arrest of three suspected robbers who were plotting to rob a bank in Manila.

Bartolome identified the suspects as Rolando Noriega, 36, single and a native of Tangub City, Misamis Occidental; Ramie Soler, 36, a native of Oroquieta City, also in Misamis Occidental; and Edzel Pamat, 30, single, a native of Zamboanga del Sur.

The NCRPO chief tagged the three as members of the notorious Alferez Faction of the Ozamis robbery-holdup gang.

Bartolome said the trio was arrested when joint operatives from the Regional Police Intelligence Operating Unit (RPIOU), Light Reaction Unit of Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB), District Intelligence Division and Police Station 2 of Manila Police District (MPD) conducted joint operations in Manila.

Initially, police operatives gathered information that the group was planning to rob the Metrobank branch in Adriatico St. in Malate.

Police authorities immediately coordinated with the bank security and deployed operatives within the vicinity. They confirmed the planned heist after spotting one of the suspects casing the vicinity.

Bartolome said NCRPO operatives tailed the suspect who led the police to his cohorts waiting at the vicinities of Star City at the CCP Complex where they were subsequently arrested.

Recovered from the suspects were two hand grenades, a caliber .38 revolver, a caliber .357 Magnum, 12 pieces of live ammunition for caliber .38 and .357 Magnum, empty shells, and a Mitsubishi Adventure with license plate WSS-834.