CEBU CITY -- Five robbers in police uniforms stormed into a warehouse of a Procter & Gamble products distributor early dawn yesterday, killing a security guard and running away with at least P1 million cash.
But elements of the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) were not fully convinced with the statement of one of the guards of Dranix Distributors Inc., who admitted witnessing the killing of another guard.
TRS deputy commander Insp. Michael Bastes said investigators were looking at various angles in the early dawn robbery and killing of security guard Edgar Embulido at the compound of Dranix past 2 a.m. yesterday.
Another guard, Edgardo Tambigui, told the police that Embulido allowed the five robbers, who were allegedly onboard a van, to enter the compound of Dranix after the five identified themselves as elements of the Firearms Explosives and Security Agencies and Guards Supervisory Section (Fesagss), the agency tasked to monitor the licenses of security guards.
Three of the five robbers were wearing complete police uniform while the other two were wearing blue polo shirts with "PNP" markings at the back.
Tambigui said that when he was already near Embulido, one of the robbers allegedly poked a gun to him and then tied his hands with adhesive tape. He said the robbers then told him to kneel and close his eyes.
"It was at that moment that I heard clicks from guns. Probably they were using silencers because I didn't hear a gunshot. Then I found out that Embulido was already dead with gunshot wound in the head," Tambigui told the police.
The robbers then asked Tambigui about the location of the company vault. The robbers, he said, brought with them an acetylene tank and managed to open the vault using the equipment. Tambigui added that the robbers then fled onboard the van with the cash.
Police said the robbers managed to get away with up to P1 million in cash, the company's collection for the week.
Dranix Distributors owner Rizal Co Bastes, however, said yesterday that investigators were not fully buying the statement of Tambigui, noting some inconsistencies, as they also consider other angles in the robbery.
For one, Bastes said they were able to get a witness who claimed that he heard gunshots from inside the warehouse at the time of the robbery. This contradicts the statement of the guard who said he didn't hear any gunfire.
"There will be a thorough investigation and we are still gathering more witnesses aside from the security guard," said Bastes.
Tambigui was also scheduled for a paraffin test and lie detector exam yesterday afternoon.
Embulido will also be subjected to a paraffin test to determine if he fired his service firearm.
"Anyone can easily cry, act out, or tell almost real stories. Thetis why we are also investigating the security guard," said Bastes.
