Cabbie facing multiple charges

MANILA, Philippines - A cabbie is facing multiple charges for not only robbing and molesting a female passenger but for also filing a fake car theft report in an attempt not to be implicated by his victim after the woman escaped Tuesday night in Quezon City.

Suspect Leoncio Ballesteros, 43, was eventually held by the District Police Intelligence Operating Unit of the Quezon City Police District yesterday morning after he was pinned down by the victim as the same cabbie who allegedly harassed her. With the incident, officials of the QCPD-DPIOU reminded passengers to be cautious against unscrupulous cabbies to avoid being victimized by the same modus operandi.

QCPD-DPIOU head Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr. told The STAR that Ballesteros is now facing charges of robbery, acts of lasciviousness and perjury. Pedrozo said they will be checking if there are other people who may have been victimized by the cabbie in the past.

Chief Inspector Dario Añasco, head of the Anti-Carnapping Section of the QCPD-DPIOU, said the incident started when the victim, a 34-year-old businesswoman, hailed the cab (with plate number TXB269 and body marking “ARKRIS”) along Sauyo Road at past 9 p.m. to meet an associate on Mindanao Avenue. But after traveling a few meters, the cabbie pulled over and opened the trunk of the vehicle. The cabbie, then already armed with a bladed weapon, opened the door to the backseat and dragged the woman out of the vehicle.

Case investigator Police Officer 3 Archie Buctuan said the suspect then started kissing the woman before declaring the heist. The suspect allegedly demanded and got the woman’s cellular phone and cash worth P3,500. At that point, a tricycle luckily passed by the road and the cabbie was distracted by its headlight, giving the woman a chance to slip out and escape from her attacker.

The woman, who was earlier able to send a text message to the person she was supposed to be meeting with the license plates and markings of the taxicab, then proceeded to their meeting place and together, they reported the incident to the police through “Patrol 117.”

Meanwhile, the cabbie ran away, left behind his vehicle and proceeded to the QCPD-Station 4 to claim that his taxicab had been stolen.

“He (cabbie) filed the fake report, thinking that if ever his vehicle was tagged by the victim in the robbery incident, he could claim it was not him driving the taxicab at the time the crime was committed,” Añasco told The STAR in an interview.

“At the police station, the suspect claimed he just bought an energy drink at a nearby store and momentarily left the vehicle on the road with its engine still running. He claimed that when he came back, the vehicle was no longer there. It was a story that was definitely hard to believe,” Añasco said.

But policemen still accompanied the cabbie in doing the rounds of Sauyo Road and nearby areas and eventually found the vehicle.

Yesterday morning, the cabbie was still at Añasco’s office and when the woman finally appeared, she positively identified Ballesteros as the same cabbie who had victimized her. Buctuan said that even after the woman had pinned down Ballesteros, the cabbie – who no longer had the stolen cellular phone and money – was still denying involvement in criminal activities.

Pedrozo and Añasco reminded the public not to be complacent when boarding taxicabs because, as shown by a number of similar incidents handled by the police, some cabbies are in fact involved in illegal activities like robbery.

“Passengers should make sure to note the plate number or any body markings of the taxicab and forward these information to relatives or friends through a text message,” Pedrozo said in an interview.

“But sometimes it becomes a problem once the taxicab has been repainted or its license plates have been tampered with after the crime. It would be safer not to board taxicabs if alone at night. Passengers should also be aware of the hotline of the Land Transportation Office or the police,” Pedrozo said.