Manila - Four "Robin Hoods" were arrested in a Philippine city where they were giving away money they allegedly robbed from a drugstore, police said Wednesday.

The four suspects were arrested in separate operations on Tuesday and Wednesday in Manila's suburban city of Mandaluyong.

City police commander Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun said police got suspicious when the four men started handing out 500-pesos-bills (11.36 dollars) to neighbours.

"They were reported to have been giving away money," he said. "There is nothing wrong with that, what is wrong was the money they were giving away was not theirs."

De Sagun said the suspects told their neighbours they had won the lottery, but investigations showed their story was false.

Employees of a drugstore in the city robbed on Monday identified the four as the suspects who took 130,000 pesos from the shop before it opened.

The men denied the robbery. Police could not say how much of the money, which was not recovered, had been given away. (dpa)