Trader arrested for carnapping

CEBU, Philippines —  After nearly two months under surveillance, a businessman wanted for carnapping was apprehended by the Regional Highway Patrol Unit 7 (RHPU-7) last Friday morning, March 13.

The accused was identified as Brian Anthony Diago Savellon, 46, a buy-and-sell business owner residing along Visitacion Street, Cebu City.

According to the report of the RHPU-7, around 9:30 A.M. yesterday in Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, Savellon was served with an arrest warrant issued earlier on January 19, 2026 by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 7, Cebu City for violations of the Republic Act 10883 or the New Anti-Carnapping Act of 2016 with a recommended bail at ?300,000.

RHPU-7 regional chief intel Police Major Silvestre Cenia Jr. said they learned Savellon had been involved in carnapping activities across towns and cities in Cebu starting last year, and was placed under surveillance after the warrant was issued

He added that before Savellon operated in Balamban, San Fernando, Minglanilla, and Talisay City, targeting various types of vehicles, including sports utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs).

Cenia said Savellon first befriends a potential victim who owns a vehicle before renting the vehicle for several months. Throughout that period, Savellano allegedly replaced the papers of the rented vehicle with fake documents and then sold it.

As of yesterday, Cenia confirmed that there were already five vehicles reported to have been carnapped by Savellano, including the vehicle reported in the said warrant.

He said that one is a premium passenger van owned by a retired police officer that he paid as a collateral for his loan worth ?400,000 from a local government unit in Leyte.

Also included were two MPVs: one owned by a Korean national, and the other with fake documents that he was supposed to sell to a buyer who refused after noticing the papers were fabricated.

Meanwhile, the other vehicle has yet to be verified by the authorities, pending the additional arrest warrants for the accused, noting that other victims have also filed charges against him.

Savellon is now detained at the custodial facility of the RHPU-7 in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, pending the commitment order from the involved court before he will be transferred to the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan.

Cenia said that car rentals have been a big business since the pandemic and schemes to steal them were previously used by groups that were later neutralized by authorities. However, years later this still became rampant but through individual operations, citing Savellon as an example.

He urged the public to be wary of clients who ask to rent their vehicles because they may present fake identification cards and documents and hope that they will not easily be blinded by the money.

“Before ‘guro magpa renta sila, (verify) the reality sa dokumento kay naay mo-rent sa sakyanan unya mogamit sila og peke na ID (ug) peke na mga dokumento,” Cenia said.

“Tungod pod ‘guro na ang nagpa-renta gusto makakwarta, mao ‘nang gusto nila ipa-renta basta makita nila ang kwarta (pero) wa sila kabalo na target na diay sa mga suspetsado ang ilang unit,” he added.

He also urged the public to approach RHPU-7 for assistance in verifying pertinent documents submitted by their clients. (CEBU NEWS)