Suspected car thief arrested

CEBU, Philippines - Operatives of the Highway Patrol Group-7 recovered yesterday a suspected stolen car that is one of the vehicles reportedly used by a suspected car thief who was arrested on Tuesday.

HPG-7 arrested Jovel Entote, 43, by virtue of a warrant of arrest for qualified carnapping, at the parking lot of an establishment in Ranudo Street, Barangay Cogon-Ramos, Cebu City, at past 10 p.m. last Tuesday.

Lawyer Edwin Angay, HPG-7’s chief on legal services, said the warrant was issued by Judge Eleuterio Bathan of Regional Trial Court Branch 92 in Quezon City.

The arrest was done by joint elements of the HPG Intelligence Division, HPG-7 and the Regional Intelligence Unit of the Police Regional Office-7. They were assisted by members of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.

Angay said the case stemmed from a carnapping incident on April 29, 2009 along Katipunan Avenue, Barangay Pansol in Quezon City involving a Toyota Hi-Ace Grandia bearing plate number ZPZ 463.

The car’s driver, Rodolfo Petalino, was reportedly shot and killed by one of two suspects who forcibly took the car.

On October 28, 2011, HPG was able to recover the Grandia in Bacolod City bearing a fake plate number, NKB-111.

NKB Lending Corporation, which claimed ownership of the car, submitted an affidavit attesting that it was Entote who sold the Grandia to the corporation.

Following Entote’s arrest, Angay said they were also able to flag down in Cebu City a Honda Jazz bearing plate numbers JZN-100 which was reportedly driven by Entote’s driver. Upon verification, the plate number is officially that of a Hi-Ace Van.

HPG then conducted a raid on Entote’s residence in Banilad last Thursday that resulted in the confiscation of a red BMW with no plate number.

Yesterday afternoon, HPG-7 also recovered the white BMW at Ranudo Street whose plate number, NQI 707, is officially assigned to a Toyota Corolla Sedan owned by one Josefina Reyes of Metro Manila.

Angay said they inquired with the establishment and learned that it was Entote’s daughter who parked the white BMW.

Angay said they secured a search warrant from Judge Alexander Acosta of the RTC Branch 9 of Cebu City on suspicion that Entote is in possession of different plate numbers.

The lawyer said such act is in violation of Batasang Pambansa 43 or the law on the issuance of permanent number plates to owners of motor vehicles and trailers.

Angay said they will conduct a macro-etching on the serial numbers of the chassis and engine of the recovered cars to determine if these are tampered.

The HPG lawyer further said that they are now checking if Entote is part of any carnapping syndicates in Luzon.

Reporters were not able to get the side of Entote but his legal counsel, Noel Archival, said they will face the case in court. — /LPM - THE FREEMAN