Three men were arrested for allegedly digging tunnels intended for robbing two banks in Imus City, Cavite on Nov. 21.
Barangay patrol reportedly caught the three suspects climbing out of a manhole along the side of the road.
“Nagtalunan doon po, kaya nila nasita. Eh nagkataon po yung ating mga kapulisan, habang hinahabol nila itong tatlo [habang] nagpapatrol, nakahingi po sila ng tulong at naaresto. Naunsyame po ang balak ng termite gang na magnakaw,” said Imus chief of police Lieutenant Colonel Chey Chey Saulog.
Upon inspection, authorities estimated that the tunnel dug by the suspects spanned 14 meters and was 15 meters away from a bank and 40 meters away from another bank.
They were able to recover several equipment within the tunnels, including a hydraulic jack being used for digging.
“Base po doon sa haba ng hukay na 14 meters is more or less na 2 to 3 days na nilang tinrabaho ito. May posibilidad na may nauna nang naghukay doon, then itong ating nahuli, ito na siguro yung team na papasok doon sa banko,” Saulog said.
One of the suspects said that someone had ordered them to enter the tunnels, but that they were unable to finish the job due to difficulties in navigating the tunnels.
“Pumasok kami doon, tapos malaking tubig… Hindi kaya po. Maliligaw kami kung papasok kami sa maliit na butas, eh di namin kaya… Kaya doon kami sa malaking butas,” said a suspect.
Authorities are still looking for other suspects at large.