Police have arrested several suspects linked to a robbery at a convenience store in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, following a joint follow-up operation by local police and the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Tuesday.

The robbery occurred at around 4:30 a.m. on Monday, 12 January, when armed suspects alighted from a Mitsubishi L300 van and barged into an Alfamart store in Barangay Dampulan, Jaen. 

The suspects took the store’s vault containing approximately P82,600, representing three days’ worth of sales, along with assorted grocery items worth about P12,000 and an EC Pay kiosk.

Police immediately launched a hot-pursuit operation after a flash alarm was raised. Using GPS data and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, authorities tracked the suspects’ escape route.

At around 8:45 a.m., responding units recovered the stolen EC Pay kiosk in a grassy area along the southbound lane of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Marilao, Bulacan, confirming that police were closing in on the suspects.

The suspects were later arrested at around 2 p.m. in Barangay Greater Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City. 

The operation was led by the Jaen Municipal Police Station, with support from the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office and the QCPD.

Police said seven individuals were arrested, including a 61-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman.

Recovered from the suspects were the Mitsubishi L300 van bearing plate number NHG 9689; a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with ammunition; a 12-gauge shotgun with ammunition; plastic sachets containing suspected shabu and drug paraphernalia; a safety vault with an undetermined amount of cash; steel crowbars and chisels; two mobile phones; a power grinder; an additional license plate (NKI 4600); a black Nike backpack; and assorted grocery items believed to have been taken from the store.

All arrested suspects are currently detained at the Jaen Municipal Police Station pending the filing of appropriate criminal charges.