Investigators look into the possible link of a robbery gang holding base in the second district in the recent robbery in Ubay.
The municipal police of Ubay are now conducting hot pursuit against the two armed men who robbed the couple, Eliezer and Eliana Amolat, at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
The victims own the Ubay Farm Supply in Poblacion, Ubay.
They had travelled from their store to their home at Purok 1 in Barangay Lomangog, Ubay on board their Mitsubishi Adventure, and while waiting for the gate to be opened, one of the two men came near them and pulled out a firearm and declared a hold up.
The suspects then took Eliana’s sling bag that contained cash amounting P65,000 and immediately fled onboard a Honda XRM motorcycle without plate number.
According to the victims, the armed men had their faces covered with cloth.
The Amolats believe that the suspects must have followed them from the store to their house.
The Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) of the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) had earlier calculated the possible resurgence of robbery gangs that used to thrive in second district.
PIB chief, Police Superintendent George Vale, earlier said that while incidents of robbery undertaken by those hooked in drugs had decreased, they have to be cautious about drug runners inclined to shift business to robbery in band to keep their livelihood.
Some of them had originally been into robbery and later ventured to the illegal drug trade and now returned to robbery at the height of the nationwide war against illegal drugs.
The BPPO monitors the towns of Inabanga, Getafe, Danao and Buenavista- -all in the second district- -being the lair of robbery syndicates in the past.
These areas also used to be tagged as hideouts of guns-for-hire.
The recent robbery also alarmed other areas in the province as the rob gangs tend to scout for victims in expecting communities that less expect it.
Now, having created the impression that rob gangs target the towns, the Tagbilaran City police force braces for surprise attacks.
Since the information about the city being targeted for robbery, City chief of police, Superintendent Nicomedes Olaivar Jr. immediately alerted the intelligence team against any suspicious individuals spotting for victims.
Security measures have been heightened to intercept members of any robbery group before they could launch their illegal operation in the city.
Olaivar had already appealed for support from the city government for the training of an elite police unit, Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
Olaivar, having previously headed the SWAT Team of BPPO, proposed to create a SWAT team as the economic growth of the city is seen to inevitably invite crime groups.
The continuing operations against illegal drugs will also be among the top concerns of the SWAT Team as it has been noted to be related to other crimes committed by drug personalities.