Cops behind theft of Aglipay’s bike?

They committed a big mistake of taking the "big bike" of Director Edgar Aglipay, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) directorate for operations, in Quezon City last Mar. 4.

And now two policemen from the Central Police District (CPD) will answer dearly for it. Chief Superintendent Victor Luga, CPD director, ordered a probe to determine whether the two policemen belong to car theft syndicates operating in 18th Avenue, Murphy, Cubao or the UP Diliman campus, in Quezon City.

Luga refused to identify them pending the outcome of the probe. However, he said one of them was assigned at Station 6 in Commonwealth, Quezon City, while another was listed in the roster of the Holding Center of the CPD in Camp Karingal.

The participation of the two policemen in the motorcycle theft surfaced last Saturday after Aglipay’s Yamaha Enduro 450 worth P100,000 was recovered from one of them while parked along Luzon St., Commonwealth Avenue.

Aglipay’s motorcycle was stripped of its parts like sidings, head and signal lights apparently to confuse those who are looking for it, said Chief Inspector Mario Llorin, CPD Anti-Carnaping Task Force. Its engine was also found to have been tampered.

Another motorcycle was also confiscated by Llorin’s men from the place where the dismantled parts of Aglipay’s "big bike" were recovered.

SPO1 Romeo Perez, a member of Aglipay’s back-up security force, positively identified the vehicle upon seeing it. Perez’s caliber .45 automatic pistol was found missing from the vehicle’s secret compartment.

The two policemen were using Aglipay’s "big bike" when cornered, Perez said. They, however, denied stealing the bikes. They said they recovered the two vehicles from a civilian who dumped them near the golf course in nearby Capitol Hills.

The two policemen were released after they promised Luga to present themselves once the probe against them starts.