Driving thru heavy traffic? Shut windows, lock car doors

MANILA, Philippines–Keep your doors locked and windows closed when driving through heavy traffic.

This was the advice of authorities to motorists, following an incident last Friday when a group of boys, believed to be part of a criminal youth gang, robbed the driver and passengers of a taxi along Edsa-Guadalupe area in Makati City.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have captured the gang while carrying out their modus operandi.

While the taxi was stuck in traffic, members of the gang struck, opened its unlocked doors and robbed the driver and passengers by snatching their valuables.

The suspects then climbed up the mesh-wire fences of the Metropolitan Railway Transit (MRT) tracks in the middle of Edsa to elude arrest.

The suspects were seen running toward the informal settlers’ community on Laperal Compound in Guadalupe Viejo.

Work in groups

According to the Makati Police, the gang work in groups of three to five people and usually operates during the rush hour.

Once a target is spotted, one of them opens the door on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Sometimes they would bang the trunk or the hood of a taxi to get the driver’s attention.

Once the driver’s attention is caught and runs after the boy, other members of the gang ransack the vehicle or get the valuables of the passenger.

Another suspect serves as a back-up. If the taxi driver tries to run after the rest of the group, the back-up is in charge of stopping him.

The kids come from slum areas nearby, police said.

The incident prompted the Makati Police to launch an operation to catch the erring youths.

At least five minors, aged 14 to 16, two of whom were Makati residents, were apprehended during the operation at the Cloverleaf along Edsa-Guadalupe Nuevo. They were brought to the Mapagkalinga Drop-In Center in Barangay Olympia and turned over to the Makati Social Welfare Department for appropriate disposition.

City administrator and MSWD chief Marjorie de Veyra said the minors will remain in their custody. Tina G.Santos