Cops bust rob gang of security guards

Four members of a robbery group composed mostly of security guards, including their leader, fell into the hands of the law on Wednesday in Valenzuela City, authorities reported yesterday.

Northern Police District Office (NPDO) director Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco Jr. identified the suspects as Arnel Canque, 40, who claimed to be a businessman and alleged leader of the group, a native of Angat, Bulacan, residing at the Vergara Apartments; Edgar Bendong, 28, a native of Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte; Bryan Turing, 25, single, a native of Masbate, all residing in Barangay Karuhatan, Valenzuela City and Ferdinand Araneta, 34, a native of Navotas residing at Block 8, Lot 22, Phase 1, Area H, Sapang Palay, Bulacan.

Seized from the group were a 9mm Pietro Beretta pistol, its magazine with 10 live bullets, a caliber 357 Smith and Wesson Magnum revolver with six bullets, a caliber .38 SW revolver with five bullets and a caliber .38 Armscor revolver with four bullets. The last three had no serial numbers.

Inspector Salvador de la Cruz, Valenzuela police investigation branch chief, said Canque was earlier tagged by Reynaldo Arriola Saddi, a suspect in the Allied Banking Corp. (ABC) heist last June 11, 2003 in Paso de Blas, Valenzuela City as their mastermind.

Saddi has been arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest. Canque has admitted participation in the ABC robbery.

Investigation showed that an informant tipped the police through Patrol 117, saying the Canque Group was cooking up something and was set to stage robbery-holdups targeting particularly payroll money of factories and other similar establishments in the Camanava and neighboring areas. Subsequently, the group was tailed by the police at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, and pounced on the surprised suspects along Padrigal street in Karuhatan, Valenzuela.

De la Cruz said the suspects were taken in for further questioning to determine their involvement in other robbery incidents in the area. – With Pete Laude