ILOILO – The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) has confirmed that the individuals involved in three recent robbery incidents were not part of an organized syndicate.
Colonel Bayani Razalan, officer-in-charge of the IPPO, also clarified that these were isolated incidents carried out by opportunistic individuals targeting small amounts and expensive cell phones.
“These are not acts of an organized group. If it were, the targets would have been bigger. However, they only managed to take small amounts of money and some high-end cell phones, which suggests these were crimes of opportunity rather than planned operations,” Razalan explained.
The first reported incident occurred on the morning of June 14 in Santa Barbara town, where a call center agent fell victim.
Subsequent robberies took place on June 24 in the towns of Oton and Pavia.
In Oton, a 40-year-old woman was robbed of her phone at around 3:30 a.m. in Barangay Poblacion West.
In Pavia, 31-year-old Dave was robbed of his phone and P1,200. Two suspects have since been charged with robbery involving force and intimidation.
To prevent further incidents, Razalan has issued orders to enhance police vigilance, especially against motorcyclists, and has deployed additional personnel during night hours. He also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the police, financial institutions, and local barangay officials to maintain peace and order.
“Let’s help one another to sustain the peace and order situation in our province,” Razalan said./PN
