4 Ativan Gang members fall

Four alleged members of the dreaded "Ativan Gang," including its female leader, were arrested by the Manila police yesterday following surveillance operations at several promenades in the city where the gang was reportedly sighted. The suspects were about to victimize a male Czech national when operatives of the Western Police District-General Assignment Section (WPD-GAS), who have been discreetly tailing the group, pounced on them.

WPD-GAS chief Superintendent Arturo Paglinawan identified the suspects as Agnes Cusipe, 22, of 1141 Villa San Antonio st., Singalong, Manila; Melanie Tubay, 42, of 1117 Batimana Compound, Marulas, Valenzuela City; Babylyn Reyes, 48, a widow, of Block. 44, Lot 9, Aldin st., North Fairview, Quezon City; and Aurora Balais of Barangay 28, Zone 2, Kawal st., Caloocan City.

According to their intended victim, David Heide, 29, a tourist staying at Juaens Place in Malate, Manila, he was strolling at the Rizal Park when he was befriended by the group who also volunteered to accompany him to Divisoria Mall for shopping. While he was shopping, Heide said one of the suspects offered him four candies. He said he was about to eat one of the candies when the suspects, who sensed the presence of plainclothes policemen, scampered away. However, the quick policemen managed to arrest them one by one.

Paglinawan said he directed his men to conduct surveillance operations in several promenades in the city following numerous complaints of the illicit activities of the Ativan Gang. Armed with descriptions of the suspects furnished by their victims, plainclothes policemen spotted the gang at Rizal Park yesterday.

Paglinawan said vagrancy shall initially be filed against the suspects pending positive identification by their victims. He said Cusipe, the leader of the group, fitted the description furnished by a female Finnish national member of the World Health Organization (WHO) who was recently victimized by the group. However, Paglinawan said the Finnish national identified as Veera Vanamo Gindonis had already checked out of her room at the Bayview Park Hotel.

The suspected drugged candies recovered from the suspects were brought to the WPD crime laboratory for analysis, according to Paglinawan.

Last week, two foreigners identified as David Franklin Bruce, 52, an American tourist billeted at the Manila Mandarin Hotel, and Erez Hanan Kirmayer, 27, an Israeli student, staying at the Malate Pension House were victimized by the group.