3 robbers killed in shootout with police in Ecija

MANILA, Philippines — Three of five men who robbed an electric cooperative in Nueva Ecija on Thursday night were killed in a shootout with lawmen early Friday, police said. Operatives of the Central Luzon Police caught up with the trio in Aliaga town of Nueva Ecija barely five hours after the suspects robbed the Tarlac Electric Cooperative (Tarelco) office in in Zaragosa town, said regional police director Chief Superintendent Leonilo dela Cruz. A report to the PNP national office in Camp Crame by Dela Cruz said the five men gained entry to the Tarelco office in Barangay Sto. Rosario at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday by posing as costumers and asking assistance from guards. While talking with the guards, the five robbers armed with short firearms forced their way in, announced the holdup and started tying up workers inside and placing packaging tapes on their mouths. “As soon as they entered the compound, they announced the heist and forcibly destroyed the main vault and took the company’s collection money amounting to more or less P240,00," said dela Cruz. The robbers also took away four cell phones, a computer with printer, a landline telephone unit and the patrol jeep of the company. Dela Cruz said that as soon as the Tarelco management reported the heist, police operatives responded and chanced upon the perpetrators in Aliaga at around 2 a.m. Friday. After a brief shootout, three of the suspects lay dead and police recovered three revolvers, a hand grenade, a motorcycle and the van used by the suspects and patrol jeep and office equipment taken from the Tarelco office,said Dela Cruz.- GMANews.TV