MANILA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Philippine police killed five suspected members of an organized robbery gang in a shootout in Bacoor City, Cavite province, south of Manila, on Tuesday, according to local media reports.
According to Inquirer.net on Wednesday, the suspects were planning to rob a wealthy resident in an exclusive subdivision when police spotted them. A car chase and gun battle followed, leaving five suspects dead, while two others escaped on a motorcycle, prompting a manhunt.
The gang, known locally as "Gapos," was suspected of robbing large commercial establishments and private subdivisions in the Calabarzon region, south of Manila. Two of the dead were linked to a previous jewelry store robbery in Cavite.
Police were still verifying the gang's links to a series of jewelry store and pawnshop robberies in Cavite and nearby areas, and the manhunt for the remaining two suspects was ongoing. ■