F4 Gang busted by Manila cops

Three members of the F4 robbery gang victimizing passengers of FX taxis in Sampaloc, Manila, have been arrested, the Western Police District (WPD) said yesterday.

Arrested were Eric dela Cruz, 28, and Arnold Martinez, both residents of Sampaloc, Manila and Levi Gading, 34, of Camarin, Caloocan City. Another member of the group, named after the popular Taiwanese boy band eluded arrest.

"Their modus operandi was to board FX taxis and wait until the vehicle is full of passengers. They then declare a holdup and divest passengers of their cash and valuables," said Superintendent Rodolfo Llorca, chief of the Western Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (WPD-CIDU). "We call them F4 because they work in groups of four when trobbing FX taxis."

Llorca said the suspects were arrested on Ibarra street last Thursday during a followup operation.

Police confiscated from the suspects a gun of unknown caliber, knives and assorted wallets, which the robbers took from passengers of FX cabs.

Llorca noted that three of the witnesses positively identified the suspects as the persons who robbed them last July 10 while they were on board an FX taxi (TVH-986) on Quezon Boulevard near the Sampaloc underpass in Manila.

After the robbery incident was reported to the WPD, Llorca’s unit tracked down the robbers preying on passengers of FX taxis.

Llorca pointed out that a series of robberies had been committed in Manila, particularly in the vicinities of Sampaloc, España, Tayuman, and Dimasalang, victimizing students, employees and commuters during rush hour.