Suspected Metro carnapper nabbed

Agents of the Philippine National Police-Traffic Management Group (PNP-TMG) arrested a suspected member of a five-man carjacking ring operating in Metro Manila in an early morning anti-carjacking operations in Cavite yesterday.

Intercepted along Terona Highway in Bacoor town while driving a carnapped Toyota Corolla taxicab with license plates PYX-548 was Randy Gabion, 27, married, of 37 S. Aguilar Avenue, Las Piñas City.

Gabion yielded in his possession several school and office IDs, driver’s licenses and ATM cards, raising suspicions that he and his unidentified cohorts are also engaged in robbery activities; victimizing mostly students in Manila’s university-belt area.

In a confrontation with Gilbert Aliwalas and Danilo Hernandez, owner-operator and driver, respectively, of the stolen cab at Camp Crame yesterday. Gabion denied the charges imputed against him, claiming he simply found the car abandoned in Cavite and just drove it because it has a key.

The denial came even as he was positively identified by Hernandez as among the five armed men who flagged him down along Peñafrancia Street in Paco, Manila and at gun point forced him out of the vehicle and drove off with his taxicab before midnight last Sunday.

After losing his cab, Hernandez immediately reported the incident to the TMG’s anti-carnapping division, who wasted no time in flashing a nationwide alarm for the recovery of the stolen vehicle and for the possible apprehension of the suspects.

While conducting anti-carjacking operations yesterday, TMG Calabarzon operatives headed by Inspector Epifanio Domingo spotted the stolen taxi being driven by a male driver who, when intercepted, turned out to be Gabion.

The suspect is now detained at the TMG Calabarzon detention cell for carnapping charges as TMG chief Supt. Danilo Mangila ordered a manhunt for the remaining members of the carjacking group.