Four armed members of the notorious Peralta Hold-up Group were killed on Saturday in Taguig City when they shot it out with policemen who tried to accost them while allegedly on their way to stage another robbery holdup.

Taguig Chief of Police Senior Supt. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan identified the fatalities as the group’s leader Jose P. Peralta, of Barangay Botocan, Quezon City; Jeffrey I. Merdejia, of Latero, Green Valley, Bacoor, Cavite; Gilbert N. Requillas and Ruben Montes, both of Villa Pangarap, Talon 5, Moonwalk, Las Piñas City.

Cascolan said they were identified through identification cards and documents recovered in their possession.

He said prior to the shootout, Chief Insp. Allan B. Umipig, chief of the Southern Police District (SPD) District Intelligence Operation Unit (DIOU), received a tip-off from an informant that the group is set to stage a holdup at an LBC branch at Water Fun, along MRT Ave., Western Bicutan, Taguig City Saturday afternoon.

A combined team of operatives from the SPD-DIOU and the Intelligence Section of the Taguig Police led by Chief Insp. Tito M. Oraya were immediately mobilized to conduct a surveillance operation in the area.

While the operatives, who were on board unmarked vehicles, were scouring the area, they spotted the four suspects walking along MRT Ave. after alighting from a Toyota Corolla car at about 4:30 p.m.

Cascolan said when the policemen tried to accost the four men, one of them drew his firearm and aimed it at the law enforcers, triggering a firefight.

When the smoke of gunfire cleared, the suspects lay dead on the pavement.

Elements of the SPD Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) led by Chief Insp. Armin Guerrero recovered from Peralta’s possession a .45 cal. pistol with no serial number, from Merdejia a .38 cal. revolver and an MK2 fragmentation grenade; from Montes a .38 cal. Revolver; and from Requillas a 12-inch fan knife. Police also recovered a .45 cal. pistol and an MK2 fragmentation grenade near Requillas’ body.

It was learned that the Peralta Hold-up Group was involved in a series of robbery hold-up incidents within Metro Manila and nearby provinces and was also allegedly behind kidnapping, gun-for-hire and other criminal activities.