Elusive ‘midnight robber’ captured

A notorious holdupman, dubbed by the police as the "midnight robber," was finally caught while in the act of robbing a 73-year-old retiree in Sta. Cruz, Manila the other night. A heavily tattooed Alex Montes, 30, a Batang City Jail gang member, of Basan St., Quiapo, could have made good his escape if not for the alert policemen.

Operatives of the Manila Police District (MPD)’s District Police Intelligence Unit (DPIU) never gave up their chase until Montes was cornered. Recovered from the visibly drugged suspect were a fan knife, a cellular phone and a man’s wristwatch.

According to DPIU chief Senior Inspector Baltazar Beran the suspect has long been wanted for a series of heists in the Sta. Cruz district which he perpetrated at midnight and in the wee hours of the morning, as police referred to him as the "midnight robber." "This robber is very wily. He times his caper when most of our patrol cops are on their break especially at night," Beran told The STAR.

Studying the modus operandi of the suspect, Beran formed a team of operatives to concentrate on the Sta. Cruz district, particularly along Plaza Lacson, specifically at night.

Past midnight yesterday, SPO2 Rizal Papa and his men were alerted by a mob chasing the suspect. The cops joined the chase leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Sisenando Tee, a retired employee, of Sampaloc, Manila, told police he was held up by Montes and divested of his belongings, including his wallet containing P7,000. The suspect admitted passing the wallet to his cohort.

During interrogation, the suspect admitted having perpetrated several robbery incidents in the Sta. Cruz area. He said he has to rob people for money to sustain his cravings for illegal drugs.

Beran said the suspect is now undergoing interrogation to determine his cohorts. — Nestor Etolle