Cops nab alleged cellphone snatchers

They took the bait and landed in jail.

Quezon City police nabbed early this week two suspects believed responsible for a series of cell phone snatching incidents in Diliman and neighboring areas in Quezon City.

The suspects –Francis Taruma, 24, married, a resident of 74 Sto. Domingo St., Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City, and Martin Borlado, 25, single, a resident of 19, Magnolia St., Pingkian III, Pasong Tamo, Quezon City – fell into a trap laid out by operatives of the Central Police District-Intelligence and Investigation Division (CPD-DIID).

They were arrested on a complaint filed by one of their victims, STAR civil society reporter Romel Bagares, who lost his Nokia 3310 mobile phone to the motorcycle-riding suspects inside the UP Campus last Dec. 16.

The newspaperman said he asked a female friend of his to pose as someone looking for a text-mate through randomly-picked numbers. He then sought the help of CPD director Senior Superintendent Napoleon Castro to work out the details of an entrapment.

"On the off-chance that he would reply, my friend started texting my number," said Bagares, who was walking to his classes at the UP College of Law when the incident happened. "Unfortunately for him, he took the bait two days after I lost my phone."

For almost a month, one of the suspects, who turned out to be Taruma, had been exchanging sweet nothings by short message service with the newspaperman’s friend, who asked not to be identified in this report. Finally, the two set an "eyeball" meeting at the Sbarro restaurant at the SM North EDSA last Tuesday, at around 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, the CPD director tapped CPD-DIID chief Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag to carry out the entrapment operation. Mabanag in turn formed a seven-man team led by Chief Inspector Clemente Barcena Jr. for the mission.

The arresting team – Senior Police Officer 2 Rodrigo Llabres, Police Officer 3 Noel Castaneto, Police Officers 2 Peter Paul Pablico, and Dennis Vinluan and Police Officers 1 Rolando Isidoro and Anthony Tecson – were deployed around the rendezvous in plainclothes.

"This is a classic entrapment operation," Barcena said. "It went without a hitch." A surprised look registered on Taruma’s face as police officers swooped down on him and his companion. The team also recovered a Honda motorcycle that the two suspects have allegedly been using in their snatching operations.

Investigators later learned that Taruma kept the newspaperman’s SIM card (09202639742) for his own use but sold the cell phone.

The team also arrested in a follow-up operation a 17-year-old to whom the suspects allegedly sold the newspaperman’s mobile phone. "We have been receiving a lot of complaints about snatchers riding in tandem on a motorcycle in that area," said Mabanag.

Robbery charges have been filed against the two suspects. The 17-year-old who bought the stolen valuable faces a charge for violating the anti-fencing law. – Romel Bagares