Caloocan holdup gang busted

The Northern Police District busted a robbery and holdup gang, made up of ex-convicts, with the arrest of five members including the alleged leader in a series of operations Wednesday in Caloocan City.

NPD director Senior Superintendent Raul Gonzales identified the group’s leader as Crispin Pesimo, 26, a member of the dreaded Sputnik gang, and a resident of Phase 3-C, Block 3, Lot 23, Barangay 14, Dagat-Dagatan, Caloocan City.

Pesimo was released from prison in November 2003 after spending more than a year in jail for drug-related offenses and after which he formed a five-man robbery hold-up gang composed of his cousin Francisco Pesimo, 36, a Batang City Jail gang member, Raymund Rafael, 23, Sputnik gang member, Rodel Escarlan, 27, Sputnik gang member, and Francisco Torres, 20, jobless.

Except for Torres, all three gang members were jailed for charges of theft and robbery.

"They have caused us a lot of headaches for a long time," NPD-District Police Intelligence Unit (DPIU) chief Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr. told The STAR.

Ramos said the group’s latest victim, a 17-year-old boy sought the assistance of the DPIU operatives at around 11 a.m. last Wednesday after the victim saw one of the suspects who robbed him the night before in Barangay 14 in Dagat-Dagatan.

The victim said the suspects ganged up on him while he was walking along Tanigue street corner Padas Alley in Barangay 14 at around 11:20 p.m. and at knifepoint divested him of his mobile phone and valuables.

Accompanied by barangay tanods and the DPIU operatives, the victim went on hunting down the suspect resulting in Torres’ immediate arrest.

At the police station, Torres admitted robbing the boy and led the police to their lair on Block 9 in Barangay 14.

All the suspects were apprehended. Police recovered from them the boy’s mobile phone, but not the jewelry and the P500 in cash. — Pete Laude, Jerry Botial