Car thieves strike at NAIA

Car thieves struck at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Centennial Terminal in Parañaque City over the weekend by posing as police officers conducting inspections on vehicles.

Prober SPO2 Alfred Fauvel of the Southern Police District (SPD) Intelligence and Investigation Bureau said the suspects forcibly took a 2002 model Mitsubishi Adventure (WTJ-562) along with the driver in front of the arrival area of the airport.

Victimized was Paulo Era, 33, a resident of Novaliches, Quezon City. He was waiting for his brother who was about to arrive on a flight from Hong Kong, last Saturday when at least six heavily armed men approached him and said he was under arrest.

Era and the suspects left the airport 8:45 p.m. After a two-hour drive, the suspects dropped Era along H. Lopez Boulevard in Balut, Tondo.

"He (Era) thought they were policemen because they were in uniform," said Fauvel, who said that the suspects used the victim’s shirt to cover his face during the ride.

Police have recorded 20 car thefts from Jan. 11 to 17 in Metro Manila alone. They said most of the stolen vehicles were SUVs and new AUVs. – Edu Punay