The Southern Police District (SPD) apprehended an armed suspect and seized an unregistered firearm, ammunition, and a hand grenade during an intensified anti-criminality operation conducted by personnel of the Taguig City Police Station in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig City before dawn Monday.

The 36-year-old suspect, identified only by the alias Mac-Mac, was apprehended around 4:50 a.m. along C5 Access Road corner PNR site after Sub-Station 2 police officers observed him openly holding and inspecting a handgun in a suspicious manner while conducting a foot patrol.

Acting on the suspicious behavior, the responding officers approached the suspect, identified themselves as police officers, and required him to present the necessary documents authorizing him to possess and carry the firearm.

The suspect failed to produce a valid license to own and possess firearms and permit to carry firearms outside residence, prompting the officers to immediately place him under arrest for violation of Republic Act No. 10591, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

The operating personnel also discovered a hand grenade concealed inside the pocket of the suspect's shorts, resulting in an additional charge for violation of Republic Act No. 9516, which penalizes the illegal possession of explosives.

Recovered during the operation were one Taurus PT92 AFS caliber 9mm pistol without a serial number, one magazine, three live rounds of 9mm ammunition, and one hand grenade bearing the marking "RFX55."

The suspect was taken to the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital for medical examination and later turned over to the Station Investigation and Detective Management Section for inquest proceedings and the filing of appropriate criminal charges.

The confiscated firearm will undergo ballistic examination and verification to determine whether it has been used in the commission of other crimes, while the recovered hand grenade will be turned over to the appropriate Explosive and Canine Unit for proper handling and disposition.

Authorities are likewise conducting verification to determine whether the suspect possesses any authority to own or carry firearms and explosives.