3 cops charged for stealing SUV

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Superintendent Mario dela Vega has ordered the filing of criminal complaints against three of his men for allegedly stealing a sport utility vehicle.

Police Officers 3 Fernando dela Cruz and Roberto Tripon and Police Officer 1 Sherwin Reyes were charged with car theft and falsification of public documents with the city prosecutor’s office by the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU).

Complainant Bessie Ang said it all started when her son, Hershey, left her blue Toyota Rav4 (UNF-553) parked along Bulusan street in Barangay San Isidro Labrador on Aug. 20. They are residents of Manila.

Records from the QCPD Station 1 showed the three policemen were dispatched to check on the vehicle following a call from a resident. Another resident told investigators she saw the three policemen check on the vehicle, which was gone minutes later.

When Hershey came back the next day, he found the vehicle was no longer there. Ang and her son went to the police to report the incident and found out about the policemen being dispatched to check the vehicle.

However, in the police logbook, the Rav4’s plate number was changed from UNF-553 to UVN-658, which is assigned to a wing-type delivery truck, according to QCPD-CIDU head Chief Inspector Rodel Marcelo.

The resident who saw the three policemen check on the Rav4 picked out Dela Cruz, Tripon and Reyes from the gallery of police officers.

Ang said her Toyota Rav4 was newly painted, its dents and scratches repaired, when it was finally returned to her nine days after it was taken.