‘Thief’ caught dismantling stolen jeep

Elements of the Northern Police District Intelligence Unit arrested an alleged member of a carnapping group operating in the northern part of Metro Manila while in the act of dismantling a stolen vehicle last Sunday in Navotas.

Chief Inspector Sotero Ramos Jr., chief of the NPD-DPIU, identified the suspect as David Prim, 48, of 78 Borromeo street, Barangay Longos, Malabon City.

Ramos tagged Prim as a member of the Buenaventura carnapping gang, whose alleged leader, a certain Raul Buenaventura, was released on bail from the Caloocan City Jail last Oct. 23 facing carnapping charges.

Investigation showed that at about 10 a.m. Sunday, the NPD-DPIU received a telephone call that a suspected car thief was seen dismantling a maroon owner type jeep with plate number NKV-223 in a basketball court at Block 39, Phase 2, Area 2, Martiniko street, Navotas.

Ramos immediately dispatched a team to verify the report and chanced upon Prim who was allegedly taking apart the semi-stainless owner type jeep.

Asked to show pertinent documents regarding the vehicle, Prim failed to show any.

Police learned that the vehicle, owned by Ramon Pangan, was recently reported stolen along Don Basilio Bautista Boulevard in Barangay Hulong Duhat, Malabon City.

During interrogation, Prim allegedly pointed to Buenaventura as the one who ordered him to dismantle the vehicle where parts of it were brought to the house of one Gerry Lazaro, another alleged member of Buenaventura’s group.

In a follow-up operation at Lazaro’s place at 79 Borromeo street, Barangay Longos, Malabon, Ramos’s men were able to recover vehicle parts and accessories, some of which belonged to the jeep Prim had dismantled.

"The modus operandi of this group is to chop-chop their stolen vehicles and sell them piece by piece to avoid detection," Ramos said.

Charges were filed yesterday against Prim. Buenaventura and Lazaro who are at large, were also charged. –Pete Laude