Robbers posing as NBI agents nabbed

Operatives of the Central Police District arrested two suspected highway robbers and rescued three men held hostage by the suspects who were posing as agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), a police report said yesterday.

Chief Inspector Rodolfo Jaraza, chief of the CPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit identified the suspects as Guerrero Linen, 24, and Justin Deo Gonzales, 32, both residents of Pedro Gil street in Manila. Another suspect identified as certain "Inspector Kinstal" is now a subject of police manhunt.

Jaraza, in his report to CPD director Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan, said that at 3:45 p.m. a Best Trading van carrying of frozen meat was unloading contents worth P250,000 to another van near Philam Homes on EDSA when three armed men accosted driver Armando Villaflores and his two helpers Nestro Peñaflor and Gerard Claros.

The suspects who claimed to be NBI agents forcibly took the van and sped towards Caloocan City.

Unknown to the suspects, the driver of the first van contacted the 117 hotline, which relayed the alarm to the nearest police station.

A police dragnet resulted in the arrest of the two suspect while follow up operations conducted by Jaraza in Caloocan City resulted in the rescue of the three employees. Recovered was the van and the suspects’ Honda Civic. Jaraza said the criminal charges were filed against the suspects before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.

Meanwhile, Radovan has ordered an investigation into the escape of a suspected drug pusher while in custody of the district’s Anti Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force at Camp Karingal in Quezon City.

Radovan issued the order after suspect Lester Raduta, who was arrested for possession of illegal drugs, escaped while under police custody.

He said policemen found to have been remiss in their duties would be face administrative and criminal charges and possible dismissal from service.

The suspect was earlier arrested for violation of Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as the Dangerous Drug Law, for possession of marijuana.