By Jennifer P. Rendon
One of Iloilo’s largest grocery chains lost approximately P1.3 million in cash after unidentified robbers broke into the store through a tunnel, according to police reports.
Major Eduardo Siacon, chief of Iloilo City Police Station 9, said an employee of the Iloilo Supermart branch in Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro, reported the robbery at around 8:49 a.m. on August 27.
Investigations revealed that the suspects dug a tunnel through the drainage system leading to the store’s former entrance door.
Once inside, they proceeded to the supermarket’s office, where they stole cash—mostly paper bills—amounting to around P1.3 million from a vault.
Siacon said the suspects used the same tunnel to exit the premises. CCTV footage from the store showed three men entering the office at around 1:05 a.m. on Tuesday.
However, security personnel were unable to confirm the accuracy of the time stamp on the footage.
“We presumed it to be between 12 midnight and 3 a.m.,” Siacon said.
He added that the suspects likely conducted several reconnaissance missions to locate the store’s office.
Investigators estimated that the tunnel dug by the suspects was more than five meters long, with a diameter sufficient for a slightly heavy-built person to fit through.
“Given that they could only dig the tunnel for about three to four hours a day, it’s possible that they completed it within two to three weeks,” Siacon explained.
As the investigation continues, police have not identified any persons of interest in connection with the incident.
Siacon compared the operation to that of a termite gang—a group of thieves known for robbing banks, pawnshops, and other establishments by using bolt cutters, hydraulic jacks, and other tools to break in.
Siacon noted that it is unlikely the Iloilo Supermart robbery suspects are the same individuals who ransacked Gaisano Capital in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, on August 19.
In that incident, two unidentified men wearing bonnets robbed four stores within the city’s largest mall, stealing around P1.4 million in cash, tools, and jewelry.
“Given that they could have been working on the tunnel for at least two weeks, it’s quite improbable that they could also be the same suspects. But we’re not discounting the possibility that they belong to the same group,” Siacon said.
