Four suspected hitmen arrested

Police seized four handguns and an M-16 rifle from a suspected member of a gun-for-hire gang last Saturday night in Caloocan City. Three other gang members have been arrested.

Chief Inspector Crisencio Galvez, the city police intelligence and investigation division chief, identified the suspect as Rafael Poblete, 26, a resident of Barangay 4, Caloocan City.

Galvez said three other suspects who were arrested in a follow-up operation were still being questioned as of press time.

"We will name them later but for now they are still being investigated," Galvez said.

Superintendent William Macavinta, Caloocan City police chief, said that his men were on patrol when they received information from Barangay 4 chairman Manuel Tolentino of the presence of a suspicious vehicle near his barangay hall.

Accompanied by the cops and barangay watchmen, Tolentino checked the vehicle – a black Ford Lynx with license plate XSM-422 – but four of the car’s occupants fled upon seeing the approaching police officers.

Police found an M-16 rifle, two .45 caliber pistols, a Llama .380 pistol, and a .38 caliber revolver and several magazines with bullets in the car’s trunk.

Police also found inside the suspects’ car two flashlights, a masking tape, two bolt cutters, a red bag containing six pairs of bonnets, black and green sweat shirts and a police uniform with a nametag "Geronimo."

A certain Senior Inspector Ferdinand Geronimo from San Simon, Pampanga, appeared yesterday at the Caloocan City police station, claiming that the police uniform including the M-16 rifle and one of the .45 pistols found in the suspects’ vehicle belonged to him.

He said armed men robbed his house last month. He did not elaborate.

Macavinta ordered him to present documents to substantiate his claims.

Northern Police District director Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango directed Macavinta yesterday to conduct a thorough investigation into the case after intelligence reports claimed that the group was out to liquidate a government official when the police pounced on them.

Galvez said that the group, made up of at least 10 heavily armed members, uses five vehicles – including the impounded Ford Lynx – in their operation.