2 highway robbers fall

Police made headway against a robbery-holdup gang preying on motorists passing Quirino Avenue with the arrest yesterday of two suspected members of the group.

Chief Inspector Benjamin Reyes, chief of the Manila Police District’s Theft and Robbery Section, identified the suspects as Christopher Carola, 29, of 1237 Kahilum I, Pandacan, and Gary Flaviano, 27, of 1228 Kahilum I, Pandacan.

A third suspect, identified as a certain "John John Basco," managed to elude arrest and is now the subject of a police manhunt.

The gang was responsible for a series of robbery-holdups along the stretch of Qurino Avenue in Pandacan, preying mostly on unsuspecting motorists, according to Reyes.

The gang’s modus operandi is to use one of their members as a decoy. He crosses the road, forcing vehicles to slow down or stop.

As a vehicle slows down, other members would pounce on the passengers and with the use of bladed weapons and intimidation rob victims of cash and cellular phones. The gang strikes any time of the day, Reyes added.

He said MPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong has ordered an all-out war against cell phone snatchers and robbers following the robbery slaying of Manuel Zachary Escudero last Thursday, who was shot dead by two motorcycle-riding men when he resisted their attempt to snatch his cellular phone.

Officer-on-case SPO4 Mario Torrente said three victims of the gang have came forward and identified the suspects as the men who held them up early morning of Nov. 9 while their van slowed down during traffic in Quirino Avenue.

The victims lost their cellular phones and jewelry to the gang.

Reyes called on other victims of robbery-holdup along Qurino Avenue to come to the MPD headquarters and identify the suspects.

"We are anticipating other victims to surface with the arrest of this group. There were already a number of complaints perpetrated by this gang in the same place. The police will not rest until all of these offenders are placed behind bars," Reyes said.

Charges of robbery with intimidation were filed against the suspects.