Survival heists of car-jack gang leader bared

MANILA, Philippines – The Marteja-Briones car-jack gang apparently did not lie low even with the June arrest of one of its leaders, as shown by the hits reportedly carried out by another leader, 21-year-old Edelberto Marteja.

Several car-jack incidents and even robberies at motels have been attributed to Marteja after the other leader, Francis Briones, was nabbed for car theft and placed behind bars.

Chief Supt. George Regis of the Quezon City Police District, said 14 car theft incidents and nine instances of robberies at motels and apartelles were allegedly perpetrated by the 21-year-old.

“Marteja organized another group in Briones’ absence while the latter was in jail,” the police official said in a press conference Monday.

The young carjack gang leader was nabbed on Friday along with three others while aboard a stolen Honda hatchback at a gas station along Quezon and Roosevelt Aves in Quezon City.

Marteja and his companions Larry Fernandez, 36; Ricky Fernandez, 35; and Mike Dicatanungan, 28, were subjected to inquest proceedings for illegal possession of firearms and car theft over the weekend.

Police recovered three revolvers, a pistol and a hand grenade as well as the hatchback from the suspects.

The group allegedly operated in Metro Manila and in Central and Southern Luzon, the QCPD said. The latest hit by the group was the seizure of a white 2009 Mitsubishi Montero in Loyola Heights in July.

In a press conference, Regis said the gang, led by Marteja, carried out nine robberies at apartelles in Quezon City and in Bulacan beginning August.

This was aside from 14 cases of car theft allegedly perpetrated by Marteja after Briones was arrested in June. Briones was able to post a P600,000 bail in July and remains free.

Regis noted that the Marteja-Briones group was responsible for 32 car theft cases from January to August this year, but the 14 cases were Marteja’s hits alone.

“They would even rob motels by seizing money from the cashiers and divesting guards of their service firearms,” the police official noted.

Supt. Ferdinand Villanueva, chief of the QCPD’s District Anti-Carnapping Unit, said Marteja’s own heists were his way of surviving in Briones’ abssence.

“Those heists were just ‘pantawid’ while the other leader was in jail,” he said, adding that the heists were carried out apparently without the jailed leader’s orders.

Car theft, however, is a bailable crime. Regis said the city prosecutors’ office has not recommended bail for Marteja and his cohorts.

The QCPD is preparing the filing of charges against Marteja for the string of motel robberies that he allegedly carried out on his own.

“Given the number of those cases, I believe that it could keep Marteja in jail for some time,” Regis told reporters.

Villanueva added that they have been in the process of having Marteja and his cohorts identified by the victims of the motel robberies in preparation for the filing of cases with the Quezon City prosecutors’ office.