Heist spree hits Rizal convenience stores

Police have launched a province-wide manhunt after unidentified gunmen robbed four convenience stores of the same company in quick succession across Rizal between Sunday night and early Monday morning, escaping with more than P230,000.

The spree began in Antipolo City at approximately 10:58 p.m. Sunday at a retail branch on NHA Avenue in Barangay Dela Paz. Two men on a Honda Click motorcycle entered the store and held three employees at gunpoint.

One suspect reportedly pointed a firearm at an employee’s forehead to force the vault open, fleeing with P105,851.

Minutes later, a second location on C. Lawis Extension in Barangay San Isidro was hit at around 11:30 p.m.

The robbers then moved to the town of Teresa, striking a store on Corazon C. Aquino Avenue in Barangay Poblacion at 11:47 p.m. Investigators said two men wearing jackets and helmets took an estimated P86,287 from the vault.

Authorities cited during an ocular inspection that the establishment lacked sufficient security protocols to deter the attack.

The final robbery occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. Monday in Pililla. A store employee told police the suspects entered the branch on Manila East Road in Barangay Halayhayin and pulled a gun after being asked to remove their helmets.

The suspects took P42,000 from the vault before fleeing toward Tanay. An additional P64,505 remained in a locked drawer and was not taken.

Rizal police believe a single group is behind the series of heists. Local stations have launched “Oplan Sita” checkpoint operations and are reviewing CCTV footage to identify the suspects.