3-in-1 crime gang falls in QC

A criminal group, specializing in car theft, gun running and kidnapping was busted yesterday by Metro police after a member of the gang made the mistake of selling part of their loot to an undercover officer.

Suspect Rodolfo Constantino, 30, was arrested in his house on Madre Silva Street, Roxas District, Quezon City by combined elements of the intelligence division of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) and the Kamuning police. Recovered from Constantino was a 9-mm Jericho pistol he intended to sell.

Constantino later led police to his companions, Leonardo Reyes, 31, of Jacinto Street, and Alexander de los Santos, 29, of 23 Gumamela Street, also in Roxas District.

The gun seized from Constantino later turned out to belong to a college student, John Jao, 22, whom Constantino and his companions tried to abduct last Sept. 3 on Gilmore Street in Barangay Mariana.

Jao was inside a dark green Nissan Sentra Exalta (GHI 168) waiting for his sister, a student at the St. Paul College, when Constantino, armed with a handgun, appeared from nowhere at about 5:20 p.m.

At gunpoint, the suspects divested Jao of his clutch bag containing his gun, wallet, two Nokia cellphones, Tag Heuer wristwatch, gold necklace and bracelet and Nike shoes.

Jao, however, managed to escape and ran for safety.

NCRPO intelligence division chief Senior Superintendent Gil Meneses said the suspects drove off with the victim’s vehicle, which was found hours later abandoned in Quezon City.

The NCRPO team made headway in the case after an informer tipped them off that Constantino was selling a 9-mm pistol for the sum of P7,000.

Following the arrest, Meneses’ men seized from the suspects a Mazda 323 (WTT 553) and a Nissan Sentra taxi (PXA 104). Both vehicles are believed stolen. One of the suspects was also wearing the watch stolen from Jao.

The suspects were presented by Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco yesterday. During the presentation, Jao positively identified Constantino as the one who took his belongings and vehicle at gunpoint.

A fourth suspect, a certain Mike "Lason" was later arrested by the men of newly designated Central Police District (CPD) Senior Superintendent Napoleon Castro. The suspect was carrying an unlicensed firearm.

The four suspects refused to issue statements on the charges against them. The NCRPO turned them over to the CPD for proper disposition.