Cops hunting down 'Martilyo Gang' after SM Bicutan blast

UPDATED 12:30 p.m. - Cops are hunting down members of the "Martilyo (Hammer) Gang," said to be behind the robbery and explosion at the SM Bicutan mall on Sunday night where at least six people were injured. According to the police, four members of the Martilyo Gang — two men and two women — are allegedly behind the robbery of the Oro China Jewelry Shop at SM City Bicutan in Parañaque City. The six victims, wounded by shrapnel from a grenade blast, were rushed to the South Super Hi-Way Medical Center (SSMC) and the Parañaque Doctors' Hospital for treatment. Two of the victims brought to the SSMC for treatment were young women, 20 and 24 years old. They underwent surgery to remove shrapnel from their legs and are undergoing tests to check their hearing, which was possibly impaired by the blast, according to the SSMC. Meanwhile, the administration of SM City Bicutan told GMANews.TV's that they have no statement about the issue yet. Metro Manila police director Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome told GMANews.TV on Sunday that the suspects used a hammer, newly-bought from a hardware store within the mall, to break the glass encasing the luxury merchandise of the jewelry store. The total worth of the jewelry stolen by the suspects is still undetermined. Authorities are trying to identify the suspects using the mall's CCTV cameras. As the gang was fleeing after the robbery, one of the suspects also threw a grenade from an escalator on the third floor onto the crowd at the first floor of the mall. "During the escape, merong isang gumawa ng diversionary tactic kung saan merong siyang binato na isang granada (During the escape, one of the suspects hurled a grenade as a diversionary tactic)," said Bartolome in an interview aired on GMA’s “Unang Hirit." Bartolome questioned how a grenade escaped security inspection conducted by mall guards at all the mall entrances. "'Yun ang ating isang titingnan dito, kung papaano nakapsok ‘yun, and we will institute some improvements doon sa mga procedures ng mga security agencies na nagpapatakbo dito," Bartolome said. (That is one of the things we are cheking, how the grenade slipped past security, and we will institute some improvements in the procedures of security agencies here.) The police are also assessing the mall’s security measures to see whether lax security was a factor in the incident, said Southern Police District head Chief Superintendent Jose Arne delos Santos. “Gagawin natin ang lahat [ng pwedeng gawin] para maiwasan itong pangyayari (We will do everything possible to avoid incidents like this)," Delos Santos said in an interview on radio dzXL on Monday. “Yung pulis natin normally, sa ngayon, sa labas. Ang sa loob, security guard (The police, normally, are assigned to watch the grounds outside the mall. The interior is secured by in-house security guards)," Delos Santos said When it comes to mall security, the police are limited to maintaining an assistance desk and providing occasional assistance to security guards inside the mall premises, he explained. As of 7:00 am this morning, the management of SM Bicutan has not yet released any official statement on the incident, reported “Unang Hirit." Tighter security In Quezon City, the police have adopted a one-strike policy to keep precinct and station commanders on their toes. Meanwhile, the police in Metro Manila said over the weekend that they have adopted specific strategies to thwart motorcycle-riding robbers during the Christmas shopping season. The Manila Police District has launched a Motorcycle and Anti-Street Crime Operations (MASCO) unit, which relies on policemen to ride their own motorcycles to chase and apprehend criminals. Robbers riding in tandem on motorcycles — whose modus operandi is to snatch or mug pedestrians, then quickly escape into crowded streets — have been a problem for Christmas shoppers in the past years. However, in an earlier robbery, also on Sunday, unidentified robbers escaped with some P20,000 worth of jewelry from the Gold Dust Jewelry Shop along Ongpin street in Chinatown, Manila. Around six to eight men reportedly exchanged fire with responding policemen before fleeing the area in motorcycles. The police have warned holiday shoppers to be vigilant, especially in crowded areas like the Divisoria district in Manila, where people flock to buy items at cheaper prices. The police are planning to coordinate closely with mall owners to tackle ways to address security lapses, according to delos Santos. “Gagawin natin ang lahat [ng pwedeng gawin] para maiwasan itong pangyayari (We will do everything possible to avoid incidents like this)," he said. – VVP, GMANews.TV