Makati police arrested five foreigners suspected of theft, robbery, and illegal possession of firearms.
According to authorities, four of them are Chinese, and there is also a Malaysian. They are said to be unemployed former employees of an online gambling company.
A mobile video captured the police arresting a Chinese suspect in the parking lot on Amorsolo Street in Makati.
Others followed suit, and from December 30 to the New Year period, the police launched continuous pursuit operations. It is alleged that on December 30, a businessman was murdered by foreigners. That day, the Chinese businessman and his friend immediately reported the incident to the authorities.
The victims claimed they were blindfolded, handcuffed, and robbed by five men. He said they were also pointed at with guns.
"When the gun was pointed at me, I was very scared, I might have been dead. We were blindfolded, and a person who spoke English said 'don't shout'. They said they would only take our things and then leave," a Filipino victim said.
"They said not to talk. With a gun to my head, I was very scared," the Chinese businessman added.
The investigation found that two of the thieves were unemployed due to the closure of their online gambling company and are currently living in the victim's home or living with the victim.
"He wants money—not a job," the Chinese victim added.
Makati Police Chief PCOL Jean Dela Torre explained: "They are all former employees of online gambling companies, they lost their jobs, and eventually fell into such robberies."
With the help of the Philippine police tracking team, the five suspects were captured. Two of them went to Bataan Province, and three hid in Metro Manila. Makati police also confirmed that the armored vehicle was hijacked, because in addition to the thieves taking it away, they also replaced it with a temporary license plate, which is why the complaints against the suspects include hijacking a vehicle.
The stolen vehicle is valued at 5.5 million pesos.
In the meantime, ABS-CBN News tried to interview these foreigners.
One of them admitted that he used to be an employee of an online gambling company, but now he has changed jobs and become a chef. However, the others refused to make statements and said they would only wait for a lawyer.
