Kidnap gang leader arrested in Cavite

DASMARIÑAS, Cavite — A criminal gang leader involved in kidnapping, drug trafficking and car theft and seven of his men were captured yesterday when police raided two of their hideouts in this town.

They are now detained in Camp Pantaloon Garcia in Imus, Cavite.

Benito Simbahan, 49, the most wanted criminal in Calabarzon who carried a P500,000 bounty on his head, was arrested in his house in Windward Hills Subdivision here, which he shared with his wife and children.

After an hour-long standoff, Simbahan and a henchman surrendered to police led by Cavite police commander Senior Superintendent Roberto Rosales.

Policemen did not shoot at the house for fear of hitting the children.

Simbahan reportedly used his wife and children as "human shields" to keep at bay heavily armed policemen who had surrounded the house.

A second raiding team headed by Superintendent Rhodel Sermonia arrested Simbahan’s six other men in a house several blocks away, which served as their hideout.

They included Simbahan’s nephews Marlon, 19 and Arvin Simbahan,15; his godson Rometico Geronimo, 30, a resident of Tanuan, Batangas; Albert Apisial, 21, a native of Dagupan, Pangasinan; Fernando Detoito, 21, of Carmona, Cavite; Rommel Nueva, 19, a student of Trece Martirez City; Ruben Gatdula, 22, of St. Isodore, Windward Hills, Subdivision in Dasmarinas; and Alex Elicano, 20, also of St. Isidore.

Police arrested Simbahan on the strength of a warrant issued by the Batangas Regional Trial Court for four murder cases in the province.

Originally from Tanauan City in Batangas, Simbahan was said to be involved in kidnapping, drug trafficking , car theft, gun-for-hire and other criminal activities in Southern Tagalog.

Dasmariñas policemen led by Sermonia and the Cavite provincial police mobile group spotted Simbahan aboard a black Honda car entering Windward Hills Subdivision at about 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Sensing police were following them, Simbahan’s driver Geronimo sped off towards the subdivision as Simbahan fired at the three Honda cars carrying the pursuing policemen.

Upon enering his house at Block 48, Lot 7, Simbahan and Geronimo stood their ground and reportedly used his wife Lita and his children as "shields" to keep out the policemen.

It was then that Rosales negotiated with Simbahan to try to convince him to surrender.

Police seized from Simbahan a Thompson submachinegun, a carbine, three Armalite rifles, a .22 caliber rifle, a hand grenade, a stick of dynamite, and an undetermined quantity of shabu.

They also found in the gang’s hideout a Toyota Revo, a jeep, a Toyota Corolla, a Honda Accord, and a Honda SR 155 cc motorcycle

Rosales presented the suspects yesterday to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr. at Camp Pantaleon Garcia.

Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal, Calabarzon police director, said Simbahan had earlier sent feelers that he would cooperate with the government’s intensified war against illegal drugs.

However, Caringal said Simbahan failed to come out and imposed several conditions before he would help in the anti-drugs campaign.

Simbahan has long been wanted for a string of murder cases, including the recent killing of Juanito Malabanan, a brother of an ABS-CBN employee, and Senior Police Officer 4 Herminiano Calapati.

Simbahan was also linked to the Tolentino-Galicia gang of robbers, kidnappers, guns-for-hire and car thieves.

Juarencio Tolentino, the gang’s leader, and one of his henchmen were slain in an encounter with policemen in Tanauan City last month.

Simbahan was believed to be Tolentino’s accomplice in the killing last February of two policemen detailed with the Calabarzon Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division.

In an interview with The STAR shortly after his arrest, Simbahan denied all the accusations against him.

"Hindi ko ginagawa ang mga ibinibintang nila sa akin," he said. "Idinagan lang nila ang lahat ng kaso sa akin."

In Antipolo City, police gunned down two of the five kidnappers of businessman Franklin Ongsitco during an encounter Monday.

Antipolo police director Superintendent Primitivo Tabujara said the slain gang leader was Arnel Duran but that the four others remain unidentified.

Police recovered from Duran P115,000 of the ransom money.

Police clashed with Duran’s gang some 22 hours after they freed Ongsitco near a police detachment in Tanay, Rizal at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.

It was almost the same time Ongsitco’s driver delivered the P150,000 ransom outside the Villa Sampaguita resort in Teresa town.

Other gangmen escaped with part of the ransom after an encounter with Antipolo police and agents of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER).

Antipolo policemen and PACER agents spotted Duran and his gang aboard a car in Sitio Bubukal in Barangay San Luis at about 1 a.m. yesterday.

Ongsitco was snatched from his hardware store in ML Quezon street in Barangay Dalig.

The kidnappers originally demanded a P20 million ransom but they later lowered the amount to P150,000 after haggling with relatives of Ongsitco. — Rene Alviar, Arnell Ozaeta, Jaime Laude, Non Alquitran