Bus robber caught redhanded

An accomplice of a former bus driver who now makes a living off robbing buses in Valenzuela City was arrested by the police over the weekend.

Ranilo Mantilla, 39, a jobless resident of Maypajo, Caloocan City, faces charges of theft, illegal possession of firearms and violation of the election gun ban following his arrest in a passenger bus on MacArthur Highway at 2 a.m. on Saturday.

PO3 Roberto Santillan and PO1 Maximo Pokling Jr. of the Dalandanan police community precinct were on their way back to their station after the turnover of a man arrested for knife possession when they boarded the bus bound for Malanday.

The two policemen said they immediately noticed Mantilla who was acting suspiciously and had his hand inside a bag. When Mantilla took out a cal. .38 revolver, Santillan and Pokling wrested the gun away from him.  They later found out that he worked in cahoots with Ricky Barcelona, a former bus driver who turned to robbing buses after he was laid off from work. Barcelona, however, has yet to be arrested. Nathaniel R. Melican