Leader of truck-jumping thieves nabbed

MANILA, Philippines - Police nabbed yesterday the alleged leader of the “Jumpers Gang” in the act of stealing the goods from a moving delivery van in Binondo, Manila.

A group of thieves, dubbed by the police as the “Jumpers Gang,” would sneak onto delivery trucks and vehicles of “viajeros,” steal their cargo and then jump off.

“The gang has been the subject of numerous complaints from truckers and traders passing the Delpan area who lost precious cargo due to the cunning ability of the gang members to strike quickly,” said Meisic police station chief Superintendent Nelson Yabut.

Most of the victims also complain that the robbers tear off the tarpaulins securing their goods, causing them to spill onto the road.

Yabut said he deployed plainclothes policemen to patrol truckers’ routes and catch the robbers.

The tack proved successful yesterday when anti-crime chief SPO4 Ber Navarro and PO3 Dennis Tablizo spotted a man hanging from the back of a moving delivery truck while destroying the door lock along Muelle dela Industria in Binondo.

The cops chased the moving van, but the man jumped off the vehicle after noticing that he was being followed. When cornered, the suspect tried to fight off the cops with a knife, wounding Tablizo’s hand.

Yabut identified the arrested suspect as Roman Garcia, 25, a Batang City Jail gang member. A knife was recovered from his possession.

Garcia admitted leading a group of boys who clamber onto delivery trucks and steal their cargo. He said the stolen items are sold to a fence.

Yabut said he will recommend that Manila Police District director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales put up a surveillance camera at the Delpan bridge to identify members of the Jumpers Gang.

He also plans to meet trucking owners and operators to get their suggestions on how to neutralize the gang.