MANILA, Philippines—A man wanted for robberies targeting taxi drivers entering Malabon City was arrested on Friday, shortly after scoring another hit in the city.
Senior Supt. Severino Abad, chief of the Malabon Police, identified the suspect as Marlon de la Cruz, 34, a resident of Barangay Tangos in neighboring Navotas City.
The suspect boarded Alberto Sunga’s taxi in Manila around 2 a.m. on Friday and asked to be taken to Malabon, Abad said.
Upon reaching Concepcion in Malabon, however, the suspect pointed a gun at Sunga and took the driver’s wallet containing his day’s earnings amounting to around P2,000.
The suspect then got off the cab, but Sunga encountered a mobile police team in the area and reported the robbery.
The police later found and arrested De la Cruz in the same barangay. Seized from him was a loaded .357-caliber revolver with no serial number. The victim’s wallet and money, however, could no longer be found.
According to Abad, De la Cruz had been tagged as a suspect in at least two other taxi robberies in Malabon.
De la Cruz was charged with robbery and illegal possession of firearms in connection with Friday’s incident.
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