The Caloocan City police arrested the city’s most wanted man – a teenager who faces at least 50 criminal charges – at a checkpoint last Friday.
Caloocan City police chief Superintendent William Macavinta said Al Madrelejos, 19, was apprehended with his live-in partner Con Con Felizar, 22, in Barangay 176, Bagong Silang at around 2:30 a.m.
“As of noon Friday at least 48 robbery victims surfaced at the police station and tagged Madrelejos as their attacker,” he told The STAR.
Macavinta said Madrelejos is the alleged leader of the Bulabog Boys robbery gang and is involved in at least 50 cases in different courts in Caloocan, Quezon City and Bulacan.
The suspects were in a tricycle when police officers, led by Senior Police Officer 4 Elias Dimabayao, arrested them at a checkpoint in Bagong Silang.
The police were armed with an arrest warrant for frustrated homicide against Madrelejos, issued by Caloocan City Judge Oscar Barrientos.
Macavinta said the suspects yielded a grenade, a one-kilo brick of marijuana wrapped in newspaper, and a 9 mm pistol with 14 bullets.
The pistol was a Philippine National Police property issued to Police Officer 1 Voltaire Capiral, Macavinta said.
He said Madrelejos divested Capiral of his service pistol when the policeman responded to an ongoing pawnshop robbery in Bagong Silang last May 5.
Macavinta said that apart from Capiral’s case, Madrelejos also allegedly killed Antonio San Felipe recently; robbed and killed Judel Jacadan; and robbing Indian national Singh Gurpreet Parmar in Bagong Silang.
“Madrelejos’ group is composed of six men, including him. They are into highway robbery and riding in tandem, (and) kill their target when the victims put up a fight,” Macavinta said.
He said Madrelejos’ brother, Patrick, was arrested recently and is detained at the Caloocan City Jail, with no bail recommended for his temporary liberty. Patrick is facing robbery with homicide charges in a Caloocan City court.
“With Madrelejos’ arrest, the crime rate in Bagong Silang would surely go down,” Macavinta said.