QC couple nabbed for selling ‘hot car’ parts

Intelligence operatives of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) arrested yesterday a couple and a suspected courier in Barangay Tatalon for allegedly buying and selling auto parts believed to have been stolen or taken from cannibalized ‘hot cars.’

QCPD director Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan said a police team led by Superintendent Roger Brillantes arrested Julian and Preciosa Chica; owners of the Chicas Auto Supply along BMA street in Barangay Tatalon during a test buy in the area.

Also taken into custody was courier Jesus Sarmiento, of Barangay Kabalangan in Apalit, Pampanga.

The parts allegedly came from Barangay Kabalangan, which has long been known as a dumping area of vehicles stolen in Metro Manila.

Radovan said the operation was an offshoot of an intelligence report on how auto parts from Kabalangan were being sold at the second-hand couple’s auto supply shop.

He said undercover officers were able to buy two front lights of a Honda Civic for P 2,400. After the purchase , police invoked their visitorial powers and conducted a search of the shop.

The police found assorted surplus spare parts of unknown origin, including lights and side mirrors. The QCPD is still conducting an inventory of the items.

The owners were taken to Camp Karingal in Quezon City for further investigation after they failed to show documents for the various car parts.

Radovan said the suspects were charged for violation of Presidential Decree 1612, otherwise known as the Anti-Fencing Law.

The crackdown on illegal auto parts sellers in the Tatalon-Banawe area came on the heels of an agreement between Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and legitimate auto parts dealers, who have vowed to report any illegal activities of hawkers in their area.

According to police, the Chica Auto Supply is not a member of the Quezon City Automotive Surplus Dealers Association.

CHR examines car in shootout

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) officials examined yesterday the maroon Nissan Sentra Exalta (XDD-828) involved in the Ortigas shootout that left three suspected carjackers dead.

"We are here to take a look at the vehicle. We want to know how many bullet entries there were. We’re taking photographs for analysis. We are also waiting for the final report of police crime scene investigators on ballistic information," CHR chairwoman Purificacion Quisumbing said.

Quisumbing said there were 29 bullet entries in the car’s body. The bullets that hit the windshield, however, could not be determined since it was completely shattered.

She said the bullet holes will serve as physical evidence, which would form part of the investigation on the alleged human rights violations committed by police during the Nov. 7 incident. — With Cecille Suerte Felipe