TUGUEGARAO CITY ? An active alarm system being maintained remotely in Manila has foiled a robbery attempt on East West Bank located at College Avenue in Centro 8 here early Sunday, May 6.
Police Supt. George Cablarda, city police chief, said the robbery attempt started at about 12:46 AM to 1:30 AM by unidentified perpetrators.
Prior to the discovery, the bank received a call from Ferdinand Villegas from the central monitoring security center in Metro Manila informing that the alarm in its Tuguegarao branch was set off by a robbery attempt.
The remote monitor in Manila also saw a lone person from the centralized CCTV monitoring camera inside the bank, particularly near the vault.
At about 1:30 AM, bank manager Romel Melad arrived and conducted an ocular inspection, particularly at the vault situated at the southwest portion of the bank.
Melad?s team saw a hole that was dug beneath the floor, which was probably connected to the drainage system that served as an entry and exit point of the suspects. Fortunately, the thieves failed to unlock the vault as it was secured with steel bars.
Police recovered a hydraulic jack, a crowbar, a flashlight, a plier, a flat screw driver, a steel saw, and a piece of wood. Policemen were also able to lift fingerprints at the crime scene. — Simeon Dilan (PNA)
