The Southern Police District (SPD) said the incident of a Malaysian national and his driver who were carrying more than P8 million in cash and who were held up along the Skyway in Taguig last month was a case of robbery and not kidnapping.
The victims were identified as Jia Hao Leong, a Malaysian national and a resident of Pasay City, and his driver Berniel Honrado, a resident of Tanza, Cavite.
The incident happened at about 3:20 p.m. on Aug. 21. The two were on board a vehicle and were traveling from Okada Manila in Paranaque to Makati with P8.12 million that was allegedly for a building renovation.
While they were traveling the northbound portion of the Skyway, a red Toyota Vios blocked their way and three armed suspects wearing face masks and bonnets alighted.
The suspects fired at the hood of the victims’ vehicle. They broke the windshield and driver’s side window using a steel ax after which they declared a holdup.
They took the vehicle’s key from the driver which they used to open the rear passenger door. At gunpoint, the suspects ordered the Malaysian national not to move while they took from him the money and a sling bag containing his identification cards, house key, one cellular phone, and cash amounting to P240,000. The suspects fled towards the Makati area.
According to the SPD, based on the CCTV footage obtained from Skyway O&M Corp., the suspects used a red Toyota Vios with plate number S1K754.
A coordination made with the Land Transportation Office on East Avenue, Quezon City revealed that conduction sticker S1K754 is registered for a 2021 alumina jade metallic Toyota Vios in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental and that the plate number/conduction sticker used in the robbery was tampered with.
The Philippine National Police is coordinating with the Skyway authorities on the deployment of additional patrols and possible augmentation of PNP mobile patrol inside the Skyway.