Rob gang leader caught

The alleged leader and the henchman of a notorious robbery gang reportedly responsible for a series of heists in the Sta. Cruz district, including the P180,000 robbery on a judge’s residence, was finally arrested by the Manila police in successive operations in Manila and Bulacan.

Wilson Sangalang, 20, leader of the “Sangalang Gang,” and Richard de la Cruz, 21, were on the police’s order of battle following intelligence reports that their group was responsible for at least six high-profile heists involving more than P400,000 worth of loot, according to Sta. Cruz police station chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula.

Sapitula said Sangalang and his gang, armed with guns and knives, barged into the house of Pasay City Judge Pedro Gutierrez past midnight on Sept. 11 in Sta. Cruz during a party of the judge’s son, Mark, and divested the visitors of their valuables worth P183,420.

Mark and his classmates identified the two suspects as among the seven men who barged into his father’s residence during a party and robbed them.

Sapitula called on other robbery victims to come to the Sta. Cruz police station to identify the suspects so that additional charges can be filed against them.

– Nestor Etolle