Fugitive rob gang chief nabbed

MANILA, Philippines - Three years after escaping from prison in Mindoro Occidental, a leader of a robbery group was arrested in Pandacan, Manila last Oct. 7, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday.

Roy Fernandez, 51, a native of Ozamiz City, was caught in a shanty in Kahilum 2, NBI director Virgilio Mendez said in a statement.

Fernandez was arrested by agents of the NBI’s Criminal Intelligence Division, Intelligence Service and Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Division’s Anti-Illegal Drug Unit. 

Fernandez had undergone surgery to remove a mole on his upper lip and make other changes in his appearance, Mendez said.

According to reports, he leads a group of armed robbers operating in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. They were responsible for a P14-million payroll robbery of a company in Rosario, Cavite in 2005.

Fernandez was sent to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm after being convicted of robbery with homicide by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 84 and sentenced to serve eight years to 14 years.

He escaped from the prison on May 13, 2011.

Fernandez, who also faces charges for a robbery in Tagaytay City, is currently detained at the NBI jail while waiting for his transfer to the Bureau of Corrections.