NCRPO commends EPD as Mandaluyong robbery-homicide suspect falls
The NCRPO chief also advised the public to exercise heightened caution when conducting face-to-face transactions with unfamiliar buyers or sellers from online platforms.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) commended the Eastern Police District (EPD) following the arrest of the primary suspect in the robbery and death of a 23-year-old online cellphone seller in Mandaluyong City.
Investigators said the victim met with the suspect on 1 November to complete an online sale. During the transaction, the suspect grabbed the victim’s mobile phone and attempted to flee in a sports utility vehicle.
In an effort to recover his property, the victim clung to the fleeing vehicle but lost his grip, sustaining fatal injuries from the fall.
Detectives located and arrested the suspect on 5 November after reviewing extensive CCTV footage along the escape route and performing backward and forward digital tracking.
NCRPO officer-in-charge Police Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano directed all police district directors and station commanders to maintain high investigative momentum when pursuing suspects in violent crimes, stressing that operations must extend beyond local territorial boundaries when tracking fugitives.
Abrahano instructed field officers to maximize digital evidence, surveillance footage, and inter-unit intelligence sharing to secure solid cases for prosecution, while emphasizing proper crime scene preservation and witness management.
The NCRPO chief also advised the public to exercise heightened caution when conducting face-to-face transactions with unfamiliar buyers or sellers from online platforms.
He urged citizens to meet in well-lit, populated areas or designated safe exchange zones, and warned against risking personal safety to retrieve stolen possessions during an active crime.