MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) The Philippine National Police wants to provide a P500,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that will lead to the arrest of the leader of the notorious group allegedly responsible for the daring robbery in an upscale mall in Makati City last October 18.
The PNP Intelligence Unit said they would be recommending the reward to the Department of Interior and Local Government for the immediate arrest of Alvin Flores, who was also allegedly responsible for a series of other robberies in country, the latest of which was at a watch store in Greenbelt 5.
Flores was also allegedly part of the foiled robbery at the Waltermart Supermarket in Quezon City and the December 2008 shootout in Parañaque City.
At the same time, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group also launched ?special operations? to hunt down Flores and members of his group, Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina, PNP spokesman.
Espina said that the CIDG has mobilized its intelligence network to locate Flores.
CIDG operatives are also checking hospitals and medical clinics in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog, and Central Luzon where a member of the gang could have undergone treatment after he was believed to have been wounded during the shootout with two security escorts of Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga who was at the mall at the time of the robbery. One of the suspects died in the exchange of gunfire.
Meanwhile, Southern Police District?s Chief Superintendent Jaime Calungsod said authorities have identified four more suspects in the heist. Aside from Flores, those positively identified by witnesses were Dave Maceda, Roland de la Cruz, Walter Mutia, and Armando Domingo.
Domingo was killed by policemen when the suspects were attempting to escape.
Calungsod said authorities were also able to trace the lone vehicle used by the suspects to a local car dealer shop, but said they have yet to identify its registered owner. The plate number of the vehicle was found to be registered to another vehicle owned by a certain Marilon de Silva.
Authorities are also yet to file a formal complaint against the suspects, pending the inventory report of the owner of the watch store, a certain Lincoln Yao, Calungsod added.
