Lexus used in showroom theft found

MANILA, Philippines - A stolen Lexus sport utility vehicle (SUV), used by a suspect tagged in the taking of a Range Rover during a test drive in August, was recovered late last month by the police in Parañaque, an official said yesterday.

The black Lexus RX350 was supposedly pawned to a woman by the same man arrested in Zamboanga del Norte for driving the stolen Rover.

Chief Superintendent Arrazad Subong, director of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), told The STAR the Range Rover was recovered from the garage of Cynthia Pankaew in BF Homes, Parañaque on Sept. 25.

Pankaew had appeared before the HPG in June this year after two of the seven vehicles found by policemen at her house turned out to be stolen cars, Superintendent Ferdinand Villanueva said.

Police said the Lexus was the same “demo unit” stolen from a showroom in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, also during a test drive, a few days before the Rover was stolen.

According to Subong, the recovery of the Lexus started with the arrest of freelance sales agent Roilo dela Cerna, who was nabbed at a hotel in Pasay on Sept. 25 for selling a Toyota Camry stolen in Sta. Ana, Manila on Sept. 10.

Dela Cerna arranged a meeting with two other sales agents, Laura Basilio and Aurora dela Cruz. Hours later, policemen were led to the house of Pankaew.

Villanueva said the woman claimed the vehicle was pawned to her by Jonn Marvine Dadan, who came to her house along with the three agents, on Aug. 11. The SUV was supposedly pawned to her for P720,000.

Dadan is the same man who was arrested for driving the Rover in Dipolog City on Aug. 19.

The Rover was stolen during a test drive from a car dealer’s showroom in White Plains, Quezon City on Aug. 11 – a few hours before the Lexus RX350 was pawned to Pankaew – by a man who introduced himself as Kenneth Ocampo.

Ocampo arrived at the car dealership in the Lexus, which bore congressional “8” plates, and handed over a P2.5-million check as a deposit for the Rover.

During the test drive, Ocampo told the car dealership employee who accompanied him to buy him coffee. As the employee got out of the car, Ocampo drove away. The check bounced.