Lacson’s man arrested with stolen luxury car

A police officer identified with former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Senator Panfilo Lacson was arrested yesterday by anti-car theft police agents while driving an alleged stolen luxury vehicle in Makati City.

Traffic Management Group-National Capital Region (TMG-NCR) chief, Superintendent Romeo Gatan Jr., said the arrest yesterday of Superintendent Ricardo Dandan, formerly detailed at the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), also led to the recovery of the stolen black Pajero with the license plate AKN-999.

Dandan was among other former PAOCTF police officials who were linked to the controversial May 1995 Kuratong Baleleng alleged rubout case.

Reports said TMG agents flagged down Dandan at around 11 a.m. along Evangelista Street after he was spotted driving the van, said to have been entrusted to him by former PAOCTF-Luzon chief, Senior Superintendent Cesar Mancao.

According to reports, Dandan failed to produce the van’s original registration papers. Police later verified that the van was included in the TMG’s list of stolen vehicles.

Police added that the chassis number of the Pajero had been tampered with.

Gatan said the vehicle was registered to a financing company in Ortigas but according to the photocopied documents presented by Dandan, the van is reportedly owned by a certain Antonio Mendoza of Flora, Kalinga.

"As per our verification, the real owner of the vehicle is a financing firm," Gatan said. – Jaime Laude