Being used in robbery operations?: Police seize "carnapped" van

CEBU, Philippines - Police recovered the van that has allegedly been used by two suspected robbers in several crimes this month last Friday afternoon on Junquera St., Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City.

The cream-colored Toyota Grandia van with fake plate numbers YFE-678 was recovered during a hot pursuit operation conducted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Cebu City Police Office after suspects preyed on a woman along F. Ramos St.

Catherine Alquisa was reportedly walking along the road at around 6:40 a.m. last Friday when the robbers, on board the van, suddenly snatched her bag. She allegedly tried to hold on to her bag but the culprits speed away causing her to tumble to the ground resulting in bruises in different parts of her body.

The victim claimed her black bag contained undetermined amount of cash, two cellular phones, assorted ATM cards, school identification cards and assorted personal belongings.

The SOG conducted immediately the pursuit operation and at 7:10 a.m., they spotted the vehicle at Jay K. See, a pay parking lot located in Junquera St.

The team then conducted a stake-out operation waiting for the robbers to retrieve the vehicle but around 5 p.m., when nobody took it, the operatives decided to check the vehicle in the presence of the media and barangay tanods of Kamagayan. They damaged a portion of the glass window to open its door.

Recovered inside the car was Alquisa’s black bag with her IDs still inside together with a .38 caliber revolver with four live ammunitions and an empty shell inside the cylinder. Also recovered was an improvised plate with numbers YCX-401.

A check at the Land Transportation Office-7 showed that the plate number attached to the vehicle was assigned to a Nissan Sentra automobile.

The van, which was reportedly used in a series of robbery incidents in Cebu City and the neighboring cities, was temporarily impounded at the Theft and Robbery Section of the CCPO.

Absalon Vergara, vehicle control supervisor of Toyota stockyard in North Reclamation Area, Mandaue City, went to the TRS yesterday afternoon and positively identified the vehicle as the one being carnapped sometime last August.

Vergara said that the robber went to their display center, pretended as a customer and asked the security guard for the vehicle’s key to have a test drive but sped away and did not return it. The van was allegedly brand new when it was stolen and cost P1.4 million.

Bastes said they are now tracing for the culprit, who they believe is from Mandaue City. They are still withholding the name of the suspect so as not to jeopardize their operation.

The same vehicle was reportedly used by two robbers when they victimized Japanese national, a man and attempted to rob a woman last Thursday morning in Cebu City.

It was also found out that the same vehicle was used when a gasoline station along S. Osmeña St., was robbed of P4,650 worth of gasoline when its driver, instead of paying, pointed a gun at the pump boy and sped away. — Niña G. Sumacot/WAB   (FREEMAN NEWS)