Another ‘Boltcutter Gang’ member caught

The Manila Police District (MPD) nabbed another alleged member of the “Boltcutter Gang” in a follow-up operation in Sampaloc, Manila yesterday.

Roberto Jorpo, alias “Popeye,” 25, was arrested two days after his suspected colleagues, Romeo Lorenzo and his son, Rodel, was arrested Thursday evening.

The Lorenzos had opened an Internet cafe reportedly using 30 computers stolen by the gang.     

The arrests also resulted in the recovery of the computers and pieces of jewelry the gang may have stolen in their operations in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, according to MPD director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales.

The police also recovered acetylene tanks, several bladed weapons, a passenger jeepney (DLC-860) and two tricycles the suspects reportedly used in their activities.

The three suspects were the subjects of an arrest warrant issued by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 4 Judge Socorro Inting. They are suspected to be remnants of a gang led by former policeman Elmer Ramos, who was slain in an encounter with the Traffic Management Group (TMG) in Quezon City a couple of weeks ago.

Meanwhile, two alleged victims of the group went to the MPD headquarters yesterday to identify the suspects and the items taken from them.

Jonathan Velasco of Orion, Bataan, told police the gang forcibly took several computer units from his car on Jan. 23. Emmanuel Reillo, of Montalban, Rizal, also identified several computer units allegedly taken from his store, which was looted by the gang last Sept. 23. The gang also took away his vault containing a large amount of money, according to Reillo.

Rosales said the arrest of the gang members was the result of several weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering on their activities.  

“The neutralization of this notorious gang is just the start of the district’s total war against syndicated crimes,” said Rosales, adding that the MPD’s Special Anti-Organized Crime Task Force was created to run after organized crime syndicates.   — Nestor Etolle