Five alleged members of the "Gapos Gang," an armed group described by police as dangerous, were arrested after allegedly posing as officers and presenting fake warrants of arrest to enter a house in Marikina, where they held the occupants at gunpoint while ransacking the house.

The Eastern Police District (EPD) said four of the suspects, who are residents of Nueva Ecija and Isabela, were identified only by their aliases as “Don-don,” 52; “Ric,” 42; “Ahorn,” 27; and “Oryong,” 21. The fifth suspect was identified as “Beshir,” 43.

Based on the investigation, the incident occurred at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, July 13, while the homeowners and other household members were resting inside their home in Barangay Concepcion Dos, Marikina City.

Authorities said the armed suspects barged into the house and allegedly presented three fake warrants of arrest, claiming to be police officers conducting an operation against one of the victims.

After gaining entry, police said the suspects cut the house’s Wi-Fi connection and destroyed its CCTV cameras to prevent the incident from being recorded.

The suspects then restrained the victims with plastic cable ties and duct tape and held them at gunpoint while ransacking the house and stealing valuable items.

“Despite the extreme duress and intimidation, the victim managed to discreetly utilize a mobile phone to send an emergency distress signal directly to the local police station while the suspects were actively destroying the home's Wi-Fi connection and CCTV cameras,” the EPD said.

Personnel from Police Sub-Station 8 of the Marikina City Police Station (CPS) immediately responded to the scene, arriving just before the suspects could flee.

“The operatives successfully cornered the suspects inside the perimeter, neutralizing their ability to resist and placing them under strict police custody,” authorities said.

However, police said three other cohorts managed to escape with cash, gold jewelry, and a mobile phone, with the stolen items estimated to be worth millions of pesos. Police have launched a manhunt for the remaining suspects.

Recovered from the suspects were an iPad Pro, a Victorinox wristwatch, a chamber-loaded 9mm pistol with two magazines and 19 rounds of ammunition, four chamber-loaded improvised firearms (sumpak), and a black sling bag. Police also seized plastic cable ties, duct tape, five black balaclava masks, five Android mobile phones, assorted IDs of the suspects, a wire cutter, and three copies of the falsified warrant of arrest.

The suspects are detained at the Marikina CPS custodial facility and will face charges of robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, usurpation of authority, violation of Republic Act No. 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), slight illegal detention, and falsification of public documents.

Brig. Gen. Melecio M. Buslig, EPD chief, vowed that police would relentlessly hunt down and dismantle any criminal group that threatens public safety.

“The swift resolution of this heavily armed home invasion is a testament to the readiness of our personnel and the importance of community vigilance. These criminals did not just commit a heinous robbery; they weaponized the identity of the Philippine National Police to violate the sanctity of a private home and terrorize innocent citizens. We will not tolerate criminal elements masking themselves as officers of the law to advance their lawless designs,” he stated.

He also commended the Marikina police for swiftly responding to the victims' emergency signal.

“I also want to commend the rapid response teams of the Marikina City Police Station for their flawless operational execution that prevented what could have been a major tragedy,” he said.

“Our intelligence and investigation teams are currently executing relentless hot-pursuit operations to track down the remaining suspects who fled the scene, alongside active digital tracking of the unrecovered assets,” Buslig added.