‘Defunct’ gang robs fire bureau official in QC

A notorious gang of robbers which had supposedly been disbanded following the arrest of its leader struck again, this time victimizing the deputy chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and two of his men right inside the official’s house in Quezon City.

Chief Supt. Samuel Perez, BFP deputy chief for administration, and his men SFO2 Joel Zarrudo and Santiago Garong III told the police that they lost P100,000 worth of jewelry, including a Philippine Military Academy class ring and several electronic gadgets, to the thieves on Tuesday morning.

By checking the police file photos of known criminal suspects, Perez identified one of the robbers as Jonathan Cuya, the alleged gang leader. Cuya was arrested in June after he was spotted driving a car that had been reported stolen in Caloocan City from one of their victims. He has since posted bail.

Linked to other robberies

After his arrest, Quezon City police officials announced that the Cuya robbery gang which had been linked to several heists was effectively disbanded.

The BFP deputy chief was also able to pick out from the rogues’ gallery  other gang members identified as Gino Carlo Juanchon, Jessie Cuya and a certain ‘“Kiko.”

The robbery was reported to the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit on Wednesday afternoon.

Case investigator PO3 Erickson Isidro said the heist happened at 10 a.m. on Tuesday in Perez’s house on Road 10 Alley 30 in Project 6, Quezon City.

Isidro said that before the incident, Perez was talking to his men when four armed men entered through the gate which had been left open.

They took the victims’ valuables, ransacked the fire official’s house and then fled with their loot.