Suspects Wilfredo Gantala; Remy Cruz, 32; Espiridion Flores, 36; Francis Cejalvo, 29, even attempted to fool policemen manning the checkpoints along Sampaguita street in Shelterville Subdivision in Barangay 175 by flashing identification cards issued by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), but to no avail.
Metro police chief Director Ricardo de Leon said the suspects yielded a caliber .45 automatic pistol, two caliber .38 revolvers, an M 61 fragmentation grenade and P37,900 cash they earlier took from couple Ronaldo and Merlin Marquez during a heist in Meycauayan, Bulacan.
The couple was on their way home when the Mitsubishi Space Gear they were riding was blocked by the suspects’ van at 9:45 p.m. There were seven men on board the van.
After divesting the couple of cash and valuables, the suspects sped toward Metro Manila. Three of the suspects, however, disembarked from the vehicle before reaching the checkpoint jointly manned by elements of the Caloocan City police and the Regional Special Action Unit (RSAU).
De Leon said the vehicle had no license plates which caught the attention of policemen manning the checkpoint.
"Two of the suspects flashed IDs identifying themselves as CIDG operatives, but my men decided to flag them down for violating the ‘no plate, no travel’ policy being implemented by the government," De Leon told The STAR.
The policy takes effect today. Secretary Angelo Reyes, head of the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTAF) ordered the program implemented first in Metro Manila to check the rising cases of kidnapping and criminality.
"We believe that the apprehension of traffic violators, particularly those using unauthorized blinkers and sirens and those with cars having no license plates like these suspects, will effectively hinder the commission of high-profile crimes," De Leon said.
Cruz, who was in combat fatigue and boots, admitted to Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco Jr., Northern Police District (NPD) director, that they had pulled off a heist. The suspect said he and Flores were civilian informers of the CIDG directorate for intelligence.
De Leon directed Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, Caloocan City police chief, to conduct to hunt down the remaining suspects, believed to be members of the Surigao robbery group.
Cruz said it was too late for them to turn back after they realizing they were passing a police checkpoint.
"Pinilit naming lumusot sa pamamagitan ng ID namin pero nabulilyaso pa rin," he told The STAR. He and Flores promised to cooperate fully in Mantele’s effort to locate and arrest their three companions. – With Jerry Botial, Pete Laude