3 KFR gang members killed; victim rescued

Police agents on Friday rescued an abducted businesswoman and killed three of her kidnappers following a morning operation in Caloocan City, GMA 7's DZBB reported. Members of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (Pacer) engaged the suspects holed up at a rented house at 1-B Vista Verde North, Executive Village subdivision. Authorities identified the kidnap victim as Sonia Lim Sanchez, who was reportedly abducted near her junk shop at 5 a.m. Thursday. Sanchez is a resident of Marconi Street, Barrio Palanan in Makati City. The suspects allegedly demanded P15 million as ransom. Deputy Director General Oscar Calderon, Deputy Chief for Administration (DCA) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the slain suspects were members of the notorious Waray-Waray gang. Police investigators told GMA 7's DZBB that two of the fatalities were brothers, identified as Mario and Leo Limbaga. A wallet was also found in one of the suspects' pockets. The landlord of the rented house, who was able to purportedly speak with the Limbaga brothers, gave the police a description of his tenants. The description purportedly matched the appearance of one of the slain suspects. Calderon claimed the alleged kidnappers first fired at the police when the latter raided the rented apartment. "When our men went in, the kidnappers fired and our men returned fire," he said, adding that the five empty shells found at the scene were from an Ingram weapon used by the suspects. Calderon told reporters an unidentified local resident tipped Pacer operatives at around 11 a.m. Thursday that suspicious-looking men with a woman fitting the victim's description were spotted in the vicinity. Police then allegedly conducted surveillance operations and confirmed that the house was being used as the kidnappers' lair. Last Wednesday, policemen killed five suspected carjacers during an alleged shootout in Quezon City's Kamuning district.-GMANews.TV