THE DAVAO City Police Office (DCPO) has formally filed robbery charges against eight at-large suspects behind the April 11 shopping mall hold-up in Buhangin, while tracking down a key suspect tied to an active organized crime syndicate.
Following an extensive case build-up by investigators from Buhangin Police Station (PS5), a criminal complaint for robbery with the use of firearm was submitted to the Office of the City Prosecutor under docket number INV-26-E-1169.
Joint law enforcement units arrested one of the key suspects, identified by the alias Dadang, during a tracker operation at the Molave Bus Terminal in Barangay Maloloy-on, Molave, Zamboanga del Sur.
Dadang, a resident of Molave, was arrested by virtue of an outstanding warrant for separate robbery, theft, and illegal firearms charges.
Intelligence briefs released by DCPO chief Col Peter Bauzon Madria link the captured suspect to the notorious Tolentino Criminal Gang , a syndicate containing remnants of the defunct Ozamiz organized crime group.
The ₱100-million connection
Investigators disclosed that “Dadang” was heavily involved in the February 26, 2025 heist at Hanna’s Pawnshop along Illustre Street, Davao City.
That operation netted the syndicate an estimated ₱100 million worth of stolen jewelry.
The suspect’s criminal profile included:
- Robbery & Firearms Violations: Subject to a ₱100,000 recommended bail under Criminal Case No. R-DVO-25-01317-CR for violations of the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act No. 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act).
- Theft Charges: Subject to a ₱10,000 recommended bail under Criminal Case No. 3636.Madria commended the inter-unit coordination that led to the out-of-town arrest.
The DCPO assured the public that tracker teams are actively conducting follow-up operations to capture the remaining eight at-large suspects from the Buhangin mall incident.
