4 robbery suspects held for foiled FX taxi carnap

Four of seven alleged robbers were arrested yesterday after a foiled attempt to grab an FX taxi they apparently intended to use in another robbery.

Superintendent Jose Gentiles, Mandaluyong City police chief said the suspects, Bonifacio Morales, 33; his cousin Leonar Morales, 30; Marolon Dulay, 28, and Roberto Santos, 27, yielded a caliber .38 revolver, a caliber .22 rifle with a silencer and a German-made caliber .38 H. Weinrauch revolver.

The arrest of the suspects came after their group failed to grab an FX taxi (plate number (WES 733) driven by Cesario Papellero, 37, along Shaw Blvd. at 12:45 p.m. yesterday.

The driver said the Quiapo-bound vehicle was travelling along Shaw Blvd. near Wack Wack Subdivision when one of the suspects pulled out a caliber .22 rifle with a silencer from his bag and poked it at the right side of his body.

The suspect asked Papellero to hand over the vehicle’s keys. The suspect was about to shoot him, when Papellero jerked the vehicle to the right and jumped out. He ran towards a nearby construction site and called the police.

The four suspects were waiting for Papellero to surface when a police team led by SPO1 Richard Masilang arrived and arrested them. The suspects denied they were robbers. They said they tried to accost Papellero because he allegedly raped the sister of Leonar. – Non Alquitran