NPD director Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco Jr. commended the District Police Intelligence Unit (DPIU) agents for the apprehension of Christopher Orillaza, 29, of Barangay Longos, Malabon; and Renato Federico, 30, of Barangay Taniong, also in Malabon.
Police said the two were members of the Nognog carnap gang, whose alleged leader, Ruel Caldona, 30, of Barangay 12 in Caloocan City, was ealier arrested by DPIU operatives.
Warrants of arrest for Caldona, alias Edwin Miras, Ricky Badion and Nognog, were issued for car theft and robbery in Manila and Malabon City, respectively.
Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr., NPD-DPIU chief, said that Orillaza, wanted for robbery in Manila, also uses the aliases Dennis Manuel and Onex to confuse police operatives.
Orillaza was arrested by SPO4 Tony Tenorio, SPO1 Eduardo Ano and PO2 Rogelio Libuton, by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Manila Judge Placido Marquez at around 3 p.m. in Barangay Longos.
Meanwhile, Federico was collared at around 9:20 p.m. by another team of DPIU agents led by SPO4 Romel Agarri with PO3 Jonathan Coralde and PO2 Lauro de la Cruz at his hiding place in Barangay Liwayway in Batasan, Quezon City.
Interviewed in their cell, Orillaza and Federico, who admitted they know each other, both denied being members of the Nognog carnap gang.
"Kilala ko si Nognog, pero iba ang lakad namin (I knew Nognog, but we operate differently)," Orillaza told The STAR.
He admitted though that he was jailed twice for car theft in Malabon and in Quezon City.
Ramos, however, said that Orillaza, Federico, and two other suspects ealier arrested by agents of the Western Police District (WPD) identified as Carlito Inano, 34; and Joy Velarde, 21, belonged to Caldon’s group, which operates in Metro Manila and has connections in the Visayas and Mindanao.
"They were the three suspects who eluded arrest in an earlier operation conducted by WPD agents in Malabon," Ramos said.