‘Termite gang’ carts away P11-M worth of jewelry, cash in Batangas heist

More than P11 million worth of jewelry and cash were stolen from a jewelry store in Batangas City after unidentified suspects managed to enter the establishment through an underground tunnel they dug, GMA News' John Consulta reported on 24 Oras on Thursday.

Police Superintendent Wildemar Tiu said the suspects entered a manhole located 200 meters away and dug a long tunnel using a hydraulic jack to gain entry to the store.

"Point of entry is almost 200 meters 'yung layo, yun 'yung distance kung saan ginapang nila. Ang lalim ng kanilang nahukay ay 4 feet and nasa 48 diameters, tamang-tama lang kasya ang isang tao. Parang mga minero talaga 'yung gumawa nito," Tiu said.

The evening before the shop owner found the hole on the ground, two men were seen loitering suspiciuosly outside the establishment.

From CCTV footage, Batangas police identified one of the "lookouts" as Brando Gargabeto, a member of the "Banay robbery group" also known as the "Batangas termite gang."

The gang's leader, Manuel Banay, who was arrested in a follow-up operation, denied his involvement in the jewelry store heist.

Banay was previously arrested when his group broke into a bank in San Juan, Batangas. His robbery gang was also allegedly behind the robbery of a bank in San Pablo in December 2017 and a pawnshop in Cavite in 2011.

Speculating that the suspects are related to each other, Batangas police formed tracker teams and launched a manhunt for the suspects, hoping to recover the stolen items.

"They are not welcome here in Batangas City. By the time that we will be able to arrest them, rest assured na hindi na talaga sila uulit," Tiu said, as he warned those who would purchase the stolen items from the suspects.

"Meron tayong tinatawag na Anti-Fencing Law na kung saan ang mga bumili ng galing sa nakaw, puwede pong kasuhan," he said. —Margaret Claire Layug/KBK, GMA News