NPD director Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil presented to media yesterday the suspects identified as Reynante Arco, 26, and Ian Boco, 34, both residents of Welfare Ville Compound, Mandaluyong City; Benjamin Cebuano, 37, an employee of Valenzuela City Hall’s motor pool department, and Jerry Marla, 32, of Barangay Catmon, Malabon City.
Police seized from the suspects an already cannibalized red Ford pickup, two acetylene tanks, an acetylene torch and other cutting tools, license plates, and assorted car parts.
Investigators later learned that the truck was registered to a Mandaluyong City trader identified as Edgardo Cariño.
The owner, a resident of Madaluyong City, said his vehicle was stolen last Friday morning while parked in front of his house. He immediately reported the incident to the Mandaluyong police.
At around 3 p.m. Saturday, Malabon City police chief Senior Superintendent Moises "Kamagong" Guevarra was informed that four men were spotted dismantling a vehicle on a vacant lot in Barangay Catmon.
A police team, led by Inspector Carlos Dilag, and barangay watchmen, led by Wilfredo Bombio, proceeded to the lot.
There, they saw the suspects cutting up a red pickup truck with plate number PDD-518.
According to Cariño, two of the suspects — Arco and Boco — have been working part-time as drivers for almost a year now.
"They could be involved in other car theft incidents as the two others suspects were their contacts in Malabon," he said.
After commending the Malabon cops for the job well done, Bataoil ordered Guevarra to immediately file charges against the suspects and to conduct a follow-up operation to identify and arrest their possible cohorts.