11 kidnappers fall

Eleven suspects in the abduction of a Filipino-Chinese businessman Tuesday were arrested in separate lightning operations by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, the national police Intelligence Group and the Special Action Force early yesterday morning.

The kidnap victim, Joseph Uy, a Makati businessman, was rescued unharmed from a hideout of the kidnap gang in Antipolo.

PAOCTF and Philippine National Police chief Deputy Director Panfilo Lacson said police operatives first stormed the suspects' two-story safehouse at Block 4, Lot 12, Sampaguita St., Lores Country Homes, Barangay Dalig in Antipolo City at about 1 a.m. and arrested Ciriaco Hutalla Jr., 40, a former member of the elite Army Scout Rangers and suspected leader of the gang; Raul Bitoin, 47; Rolly Hutalla, 33; Joseph Castillo, 38; Ecer Lavilla, 37; and Jessie Costales, a former soldier. All suspects are natives of Lopez and Panaon towns in Quezon, police said.

Minutes after the raid in Antipolo City, other task force agents stormed the JC Manufacturing Compound at 10 Barangay Drive, Bangkal, Carmona, Cavite and arrested the other suspects: Renato Salatan, 37, a native of Nueva Ecija; Ryan Lavilla, 17, of Panaon, Quezon; Lenin Mota, 21, of Castilla, Sorsogon; Orlando Alvarez, 37, of Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija; and Bien Alvarez, 33, also of Nueva Ecija.

Uy was snatched at gunpoint by the suspects last Tuesday as he was getting into his car. The abductors then drove away with the victim aboard a white Nissan Safari.

Lacson said police agents were able to track the suspects as they were coming out of their Carmona safehouse on board the same white Nissan Safari. They then tailed the van to the Antipolo safehouse.

Seized at the safehouses were two caliber .45 pistols, a caliber .38 revolver, assorted stolen car license plates, three cellular phones, two hand-held radio transceivers, military identification cards, a fan knife and various rounds of ammunition.

In a report to President Estrada, Lacson said the suspects initially demanded P50 million for Uy's release. The amount was later reduced to P20 million.

Two more suspects, a Filipino-Chinese who acted as the gang's informer and a former soldier, are still being hunted. Lacson declined to identify them pending their arrest.

Lacson said that Hutalla's group was responsible for five previous kidnappings in Makati and in the Southern Tagalog region.

Further investigation also showed that at least four other kidnap cases in Makati City were traced to the gang, Lacson said.