Manila: An ex-military officer who took to a life of crime and led a notorious robbery gang has been rrested by security forces in Western Visayas region, officials say.
Dexter Balane, a former captain in the Philippines Army, was detained by government forces at his rented house in Unka 1 village, Pavia town, Iloilo City at around 12.38pm on Monday on the basis of an arrest warrant issued against him by a court in Mindanao.
“Balane has a standing warrant of arrest for robbery in band with criminal case number 12063-2015 issued on March 7, 2015 by Judge Dennis Vicoy of Regional Trial Court 9, Branch 20 in Pagadian City,” said the armed forces’ Public Affairs Office.
According to officials, the army captain took part and probably led four robberies perpetrated by the dreaded Martilyo Gang, a band of criminals who rob jewellery shops by smashing display cases using a hammer (martilyo in Filipino).
Balane allegedly robbed a jewellery shop at the Gaisano Mall in Pagadian City Zamboanga del Norte recently.
Officials said Balane used his background as an armed forces officer in planning and carrying out daring daylight robberies.
According to the military, the arrest was facilitated through the coordination and operation between the military and police criminal investigation elements in Iloilo City.
Some of the high profile criminal gangs arrested in the past have had former military men in their ranks but the incident involving Balane was one of the few times a former officer was a leader of the group.
Following a rash of jewellery heists, perpetrated by gangs using hammers, business establishments in malls had issued a temporary ban on selling the tool.
It is not known if Balane’s Martilyo Gang used a hammer they brought with them or if they bought it from one of the shops inside the mall.
