'Termite Gang' robs Batangas bank of P300-K cash, valuables

BATANGAS, Philippines (The Filipino Connection)– Members of the notorious Termite Gang struck once again robbing a Mt. Carmel Rural Bank, Inc. in Malvar of P300,000 cash and other valuable items, police said.

 

Senior Inspector Albert Fabregas, Malvar police chief, said that the still unidentified thieves reportedly gained entry to the bank by making a tunnel that was connected to the town’s drainage system situated 500 meters away from the bank. They destroyed the bank’s floor tiles using a hydraulic jack.

 

Once inside, the suspects destroyed the bank’s alarming devices and also stole the CCTV’s hard disk. They forcibly opened the teller’s drawer and bank vaults using a crowbar and took away cash and other valuable items.

 

Police found out that the bank had no security guard at night and on weekends which made it possible for the thieves to gain entry using the tunnel they created.

 

Fabregas said they suspect that the theft could have occurred between late Friday afternoon and Monday morning. Employees discovered the incident when they opened the bank at about 8 a.m. on Monday.

 

This was not the first time that the bank has been robbed by members of the gang. In February 2015, the bank’s Sta. Teresita branch was also robbed of P700,000 using a similar technique.

 

The suspects also attempted to rob Mt. Carmel’s San Juan Branch on June 13 but they were foiled by the police’s timely response.

 

Fabregas said he doesn’t discount the possibility that the same group is behind the thefts.

 

Malvar police are now coordinating with the San Juan and Sta. Teresita police stations to obtain further information and review CCTV footage that could help in identify the culprits.

 

The bank management declined request for media interviews.