By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) believes that the three suspects allegedly involved in a robbery incident last week were members of an organized crime group.

Lt. Colonel Ronnie Brillo, BCPO’s City Mobile Force Company commander, said they classified the suspects as members of an organized group as two of them wore bulletproof vests following their arrests.

Authorities also recovered a .357 and two .38 caliber revolvers with live ammunition from them.

Brillo said one of the suspects was involved in illegal drug activities.

Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel Salvador Trono, Talisay City Police Station commander, said they will file additional charges of illegal possession of firearms against the suspects, in violation of the election gun ban.

Robbery hold-up charges were earlier filed against them.

Trono added that they are also investigating if they were also involved in other robbery incidents in Talisay recently.

A police investigation revealed that the three were the same suspects in the hold-up and robbery incidents of two other freight hubs near St. John’s Institute and in Bacolod’s Barangay Singcang-Airport.

On Thursday night, October 5, BCPO operatives arrested 43-year-old Rodolfo Suelan of Bacolod’s Barangay Taculing, a former security guard; and 42-year-old Roberto delos Santos and 45-year-old Richard Parcon, both residents of Barangay Villamonte, during a dragnet operation in the city’s Barangay Alijis.

The suspects were onboard a sports utility vehicle and a motorcycle heading towards Bacolod after they allegedly robbed a courier company’s freight hub in Talisay’s Barangay Zone 12.

The three suspects were later handed over to the city police./DGB, WDJ