A suspected member of a criminal group responsible for a series of robbery holdups in Metro Manila and Bulacan and two others were arrested by the police in an anti-criminality operation in Taguig on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Southern Police District (SPD) acting director Col. Kirby John Kraft identified the suspects as Mark Brylle Garcia, 19, who was tagged by the police as a member of the Bobby Arao criminal group; Arlyn de Leon, 25; and a 16-year-old.

According to the police, the Bobby Arao robbery group is responsible for robbery holdups in Taguig, Makati, Pasig, Muntinlupa and Meycauyan, Bulacan.
The three were arrested by personnel from the Taguig police’s Substation 4, intelligence operatives and members of the Laguna police intelligence unit in a joint operation against carnapping incidents in Taguig and nearby areas.
During the operation, the police flagged down the three suspects onboard one motorcycle for not wearing protective helmets along Ruhale Street, Barangay Calzada-Tipas in Taguig.
When the police requested for the driver’s license and documents for the motorcycle, the three failed to produce any.
Upon verification by the Taguig police investigation section’s anti-carnapping unit, it was found out that the motorcycle was forcibly taken from one Jhumar Castro, an incident which was reported to the Investigation and Detection Management Section (IDMS).
This prompted the police to arrest the three suspects. Recovered from them were a motorcycle, a 9mm pistol, five pieces of live ammunition, hand grenade, a plastic sachet containing 5.97 grams of suspected shabu with a value of P40,596, and one plastic sachet containing dried leaves believed to be marijuana weighing 1.9 grams with a value of P418.
The suspects will be charged with violations of Republic Act 9516 for possession of an explosive, Republic Act 10591 for illegal possession of firearms, Republic Act 10883 (New Anti-Carnapping Act of 2016) and Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
The rescued minor, classified under Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL), was turned over to Bahay Pagasa.