5 arrested suspects tagged in 32 car theft cases

MANILA, Philippines -  The five alleged carjackers who were arrested over the weekend are allegedly behind a total of 32 car thefts, the head of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said yesterday.

QCPD director Chief Superintendent George Regis said the group employed the same modus operandi: steal a car of lesser value, then use it in carjacking high-end vehicles.

Regis revealed to The STAR that some of the vehicles are transported to as far as Davao and Cebu Cities via roll-on, roll-off vessels.

Suspects Francis Briones, Joey Villanueva, Jonathan Rodriguez, Alexander Emmanuel, and Rommel Flores were arrested in a series of operations that started in Que­zon City and reached all the way to Parañaque.

“Briones is the one giving instructions to the other suspects on which types of vehicles to get. He (Briones) is the one receiving orders from buyers,” Regis said during a press conference yesterday.

Regis told The STAR they are still hunting three more members of the group.

Out of the 32 stolen vehicles in Quezon City believed to be taken by the group, six were forcibly taken while 26 were stolen while parked. So far, the QCPD has recovered 16 of the vehicles, including 14 that were left abandoned, presumably after they had been used in the carjacking of the high-end vehicles.

Villanueva said the suspects might be behind most of the car theft cases that happened after the arrest of alleged carjack gang leaders Raymond and Roger Dominguez earlier this year. The Dominguez brothers were implicated in the killing of car dealer Venson Evangelista.

Aside from the recent cases, the QCPD has also found out that Rodriguez is also facing a similar case in Angeles City, Pampanga in connection with an incident that happened on June 1. ­