Cops kill 9 rob suspects

Nine robbery suspects were killed in an alleged shootout at the foot of Del Pan Bridge in Manila’s Port Area yesterday as police stepped up the campaign against organized crime.

A police officer was reported wounded in the purported gunfight that broke out at dusk after the lawmen tried to flag down the gang’s south-bound vehicle as it crossed the Del Pan Bridge toward Bonifacio Drive.

The Philippine National Police tagged the slain suspects as "remnants of the Martilyo Gang" whose favorite targets are jewelry shops. Two of them were identified only as Commander Tu and a certain Norc, who were said to be in the PNP’s order of battle.

The gang is notorious for warding off pursuing lawmen by exploding hand grenades after pulling off robberies, foremost of which were at the Ever Gotesco mall in Caloocan City and at a Light Railway Transit station in Baclaran, Para-ñaque earlier this year.

Senior Superintendent Jaime Caringal, deputy chief of the PNP-Intelligence Group (IG), claimed the gang was also engaged in kidnapping for ransom, and was believed behind the abduction of a Korean resort owner in Pansol, Laguna last month.

Police said two caliber .45 pistols, six caliber .38 revolvers and a hand grenade were recovered from the slain suspects.

On Thursday, the PNP drew first blood in its all-out drive against criminal syndicates with the arrest of three suspected members of the so-called Joel Medrano kidnap gang.

Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. identified the suspects as Renato Abuevo, Arnold Ramirez and Rolando Velasco.

Caringal said the Martilyo Gang had been under surveillance following a tip off that they were about to swoop down on a foreign exchange shop at the Traders Hotel on Roxas Boulevard in Malate, Manila.

Caringal said he and his team of operatives waited for the suspects who were aboard a Toyota Tamaraw utility van with license plates GCX 815 in the vicinity of Delpan Bridge.

"As I signaled the gang’s vehicle to stop, two men jumped off and opened fire at us," Caringal said.

"Sisitahin pa lamang namin, namutok na at tinamaan ang isa kong tao (We were just about to accost them, but they immediately opened fire, hitting one of my men)," Caringal said.

The initial salvo of gunfire from the suspects’ caliber .45 automatics shattered the windshield of the police’s lead vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser with license plates TJJ 772, wounding Chief Inspector Nonimer Detran.

Caringal said they were prompted to return fire. When the smoke of battle cleared, a suspect lay dead in the middle of the road, while seven of his companions were cut down right inside their vehicle, their bodies piled one on top of the other.

Empty shells apparently coming from the policemen’s firearms littered the suspects’ vehicle, indicating part of the shootout was done at close range.

The ninth suspect was rushed to the Ospital ng Maynila but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Detran was also taken to the same hospital.

Attempts by reporters to interview some of the pilicemen who took part in the operation failed as they were simply referred to Caringal for statements.

"This operation against crime syndicates is in accordance with the order of PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza to neutralize crime groups," Caringal declared.

The encounter came six days after President Arroyo ordered the PNP to wage a vigorous crackdown on organized crime in a bid to improve the country’s image before the international community.

Police files on the Martilyo Gang, so-called for its practice of smashing jewelry showcases with a hammer, showed that three members of the group were captured in the rescue operation for the Korean in Sariaya town in Quezon. Part of the ransom money was also recovered.

Authorities also tagged the gang as behind a series of heists involving pawnshops in Metro Manila.