Robbery gang busted
Police operatives arrested the alleged leader of a “basag salamin” robbery group and his five members in their hideout in Marikina City Monday night.
National Capital Region Police Office Chief Guillermo Eleazar and Quezon City Police District Director Joselito Esquivel Jr. identified the suspects as Julius Batac, 25, leader of the Batac “basag salamin”, and his members Elvin Duanan, 33; his uncle Rodelio Sibug, 52; his live-in partner Rosana Mae Maramias, 20; Eugenia Argawanon, 34; and Harlan Requilman, 35.
In a press conference at QCPD Headquarters in Camp Karingal yesterday, Eleazar said the suspects were nabbed after victimizing Benson Paras, 43, a barangay executive officer.
Paras, a resident of Barangay Milagrosa, Quezon City, parked his silver Toyota Innova in front of a hardware store at the corner of Katipunan Avenue and Sunrise Street around 6:30 p.m., Sunday, and went to a nearby restaurant.
While inside the store, Paras noticed a suspicious-looking man peeping inside his vehicle.
Minutes later, he saw the man pick up a stone and smash the window at the driver’s side, prompting him to rush outside and grab the suspect.
However, two men riding a motorcycle suddenly arrived and, at gunpoint, ordered Paras to release their companion.
The armed suspects also took the victim’s cell phone worth ₱10,000 and ₱2,000 in cash before escaping towards Santolan Road.
Paras immediately reported the incident to the police.
Joint operatives of QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, QCPD-Project 4 Police Station (PS-8), and Marikina City Police Station conducted a follow-up operation around 1:30 a.m., Monday, after receiving information about the hideout of the group in Barangay Tañong, Marikina City.
Police said the suspects matched the descriptions given by the victim as well as from footages captured by a closed-circuit television in the area.
Upon their arrest, the suspects admitted that they are behind the series of “basag salamin” incidents in Metro Manila and in neighboring provinces of Bulacan and Rizal.
Paras also positively identified Duanan and Requilman as the same persons who arrived on motorcycles and took his cash and cellphone.
Seized from the suspects were a .22-caliber Black Widow revolver, a sachet of suspected shabu, two Yamaha Mio motorcycles with plate number CA 89316 and motorcycle registration number 04010324688, one a red Euro motorcycle with motorcycle registration number 0301-0486366, several identification cards, laptops, bags, wallets, wrist watches, two helmets and other documents which were believed to have been stolen.
Senior Inspector Allan dela Cruz, head of the QCPD-CIDU Theft and Robbery Section, said there are at least 19 cases of “basag salamin” modus recently in Quezon City involving Batac’s Group.
He added that Batac was previously arrested for the same modus and was released from the Quezon City Jail in January 2018.
After his release, Batac formed a new “basag salamin” group, according to Dela Cruz.
Dela Cruz reminded the public to be aware of the “basag salamin” modus and advised them to install alarm devices in their vehicles.
Esquivel advised motorists to refrain from leaving their valuables inside the vehicles which may get the attention of these criminals.
The QCPD chief also called on other victims of “basag salamin’” modus to come to the CIDU in Camp Karingal and file charges against the suspects.
The suspects are now detained at the QCPD-CIDU and will be charged with robbery before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office.
Two men allegedly involved in “basag salamin” modus were killed in a shootout with police officers chasing them in Quezon City past 12 a.m. yesterday.
Superintendent Joel Villanueva, chief of Quezon City Police DistrictBatasan Police Station (PS-6), said that the slain suspects in their late 30s have yet to be identified.
The QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit reported that the 32-year-old victim Remelito Combis was inside his Toyota Avanza with conduction sticker WA-0135 on Capitol Hills Drive near Benedictine International School in Barangay Old Balara when two men onboard a motorcycle arrived.
Combis said that the back rider wearing a black shirt and brown short pants and armed with a hammer got off the motorbike. The man then started smashing the rear left side window of his heavily tinted vehicle.
Off-duty cop PO2 Rino Agader, who was buying snacks at a nearby convenience store, noticed the incident. He immediately confronted the suspects and introduced himself as a police officer, but one of them pulled out his gun and fired a shot at him but missed.
The two suspects sped off towards Capitol Hills while Agader immediately sought help from PS-6 personnel who were also alarmed by the gunshot while conducting “Oplan Sita” near the area.
The policemen responded and chased the suspects.
Instead of surrendering, one of the suspects fired his gun, triggering a brief shootout.
The exchange of fires ended when pursuing policemen hit the fleeing suspects, killing them on site.
Seized from the suspects were two .38-caliber revolvers, a hammer, and their getaway blue motorcycle without plate number.
Police also confiscated five sachets of shabu from one of the suspects and two more from the other.
QCPD Director Joselito Esquivel Jr. said they are checking if the suspects belonged to the Batac robbery group.