Kidnap gang ‘leader’ falls

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) believes it has busted the so-called Andrade kidnap-for-ransom gang with the arrest of its suspected leader in Quezon last Tuesday.

Agents of the NBI’s intelligence and special operations division led by Oscar Embido cornered suspect Geraldo Andrade, 36, in his safehouse in Barangay Mamala 2, Sariaya town.

The "Andrade gang" was linked to the abduction of the owner of Raymond Transit in Tanauan, Batangas last December. The victim was freed after a P3.5-million ransom was paid.

The NBI said its agents began their surveillance work on Andrade last February when one of his alleged henchmen, Eduardo Fernandez, was arrested in San Pablo City. — Mike Frialde