Police protecting robbery group, member claims

A notorious robbery-holdup group in Caloocan City is reportedly being protected by several policemen—including a high-ranking official—assigned at different stations in Metro Manila.

The group, whose leader was identified as Ernesto Gutierrez—also known as “Bait”—is listed in the National Capital Region Police Office’s Order of Battle.

The information was given to the police by an alleged member of the Junior Bait Group which was linked to several robbery-holdup cases in the city in recent months.

Jayson “AJ” Baltazar was arrested by policemen manning a checkpoint at the corner of C3 Road and Dagat-dagatan Avenue in Caloocan City around 6 a.m. on Sunday.

He tried to evade the police but he fell off the motorcycle he was riding on although his companion who was driving the vehicle managed to escape.

The man was identified as Gutierrez.

A third member of the gang, Jordan Cruz, also eluded arrest, city police intelligence head Chief Inspector Cris Galvez said.

Senior Superintendent Jude Santos, Caloocan police chief, said that Baltazar gave investigators the names of several policemen who he claimed acted as the group’s protectors.

Santos added that during a check of Baltazar’s belongings, the police found a calling card of a high-ranking Manila Police District official in his wallet.

“A note written on the back of the calling card read, ‘Please extend assistance to the [bearer of this card],’” he said.

When asked what Baltazar said the policemen got in exchange for protecting the group, Santos told the Inquirer that the former had refused to answer.

He added, however, that they had started looking into Baltazar’s claims.

“It’s also possible… the members could have just collected the calling cards and are just claiming that they are being protected by the policemen,” Santos said.

According to him, they have started looking for other members of the group.

Galvez, meanwhile, said that intelligence operatives who studied the group for about a month found out that its members usually conducted their illegal activities between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.