Cops bare new motorcycle theft scheme

MANILA, Philippines - Police officers in Valenzuela City arrested two men who employed a new scheme to steal motorcycles, an official said yesterday.

They post an online advertisement to sell the motorcycle, then steal it once they have a prospective buyer, city police chief Senior Superintendent Eric Armamento told The STAR.

“If the deal falls through, they will chop up the unit and sell its parts to mechanics,” he said.

Armamento said Francisco Valeroso, 18; and Ray Rigor Reyes, 28, who were arrested on May 28, admitted they started the scheme about two years ago.

Valeroso scouts for “expensive” motorcycles all over the city. Once he finds the “perfect bike,” he will “case” its owner for about one week, Armamento said. “He will monitor the house until he knows when the owner goes and returns with the motorcycle,” he said.

With photos he takes of the motorcycle, he posts ads on online shopping websites. “If the motorcycle costs P70,000, he will sell it for P15,000 or P10,000. Once they find a buyer, they will say the papers will be given to the buyer at a later time,” Armamento said.

Reyes, on the other hand, serves as a “backup” should transactions with customers fail. “He sells the parts to mechanics,” Armamento said, remarking that the scheme the two men employed is “quite impressive.”

The Valenzuela police chief said the two men do not harm their victims, relying on their “skills” to steal the motorcycle.

Valeroso and Reyes were arrested last week after a motorcycle, which was stolen on May 22, was found in their possession. When the motorcycle was recovered, a lot of its parts have already been replaced.

Armamento said the police are searching for the duo’s possible accomplices. “They claim it’s only the two of them. We’re not buying it,” he said.