Robbery gang busted through ‘text’

The Valenzuela police busted a robbery-holdup gang and nabbed its alleged leader and two members yesterday in a series of operations in Bulacan and Caloocan City aided by text messaging

Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango, Northern Police District (NPD) chief, commended Superintendent Billy Beltran, Valenzuela police chief, Chief Inspector Danilo Bugay, city intelligence branch chief, and his men for neutralizing the Quiobe Group.

Tango identified the arrested suspects as Rommel Quiobe, 30, the alleged group leader; Luisito Sorio, 38, a native of Catarman, Samar, both residents of Libis Baesa, Caloocan City, and Rosemarie Tumibay, 27, a resident of Cofradia de Sto. Rosario, Paombong, Bulacan.

Superintendent Romeo Onte, District Investigation Branch chief, said the operatives also recovered an unlicensed .45 caliber pistol with six rounds of ammunition, and a .38 caliber revolver with three live bullets in the chamber of a Honda Wave motorcycle earlier stolen from an Indian national and other items taken from their victims.

Onte told The STAR that the group was believed responsible for robbing and shooting Franky de Leon, 33, a seaman, and Irmina Inta, 35, a businesswoman, at around 9:20 p.m. last April 14.

De Leon and Inta lost some P50,000 in cash, cellphones and other valuables. De Leon remains confined at the FEU Hospital in Quezon City due to the gunshot wounds he sustained when he resisted the suspects during the heist.

A day earlier, the suspects stole the Honda Wave of Jaswinder Singh, 46, an Indian national residing in nearby Barangay Karuhatan.

A breakthrough was made after Inta was able to communicate with the suspects by sending text messages to her stolen cellphone.

Inta pretended to be someone who wants to pay an undetermined amount of money and called up the suspects easily fell for the ruse.

Tumibay, pretending to be Inta herself, replied and agreed to meet the real Inta in Barangay Lugam, Malolos, Bulacan.

Bugay and his men proceeded to the agreed meeting place ready for an entrapment operation.

The team arrested Tumibay after receiving the marked money from the real Inta.