Cop tagged in carjack case arrested

A text message led to the arrest on Wednesday of a policeman tagged as the primary suspect in the carjacking of a luxury vehicle of an engineer in Marikina City.

PO2 Arnold Adto, of Regional Headquarters Service Group (RHSG), did not resist arrest when cornered by joint elements of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and the Bulacan police inside a Five Star bus at the Bocaue exit of the North Expressway at around 11 a.m.

Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr., intelligence chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said that Adto was the prime suspect in the carjacking of a dark green Toyota Land Cruiser, with license plate UNF-510, owned by Fernando Lorenzo, 58, and engineer and a resident of Barangay San Roque, Marikina City, last Feb. 6.

The Marikina City police filed charges against Adto who failed to report for work after the incident.

"He went into hiding but was arrested through a text message sent by a concerned citizen," said Rojas.

Senior Superintendent Miguel Laurel, intelligence chief of Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3), received a text message informing the police of Adto’s presence inside a Five Star bus on the way to Manila from Capas, Tarlac.

The text message described Adto as bulky, about 5’7" in height, semi-bald and wearing a white T-shirt and a green fatigue and carrying a green bag.

"We tried to intercept him at the Mabalacat exit but the bus has just passed so we decided to follow the bus to the North Expressway," Laurel told The Star.

Laurel relayed the text message to Senior Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, Marikina City police chief, where Adto was facing charges for car theft.

Elements of the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) of PRO3, collared Adto at the Bocaue exit of the NLEX.

QCPD director Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan took custody of Adto, claiming that three carjacking victims in Quezon City positively identified him as one the suspects in their cases.

Rojas said NCRPO chief Director Vidal Querol has initiated summary dismissal proceedings against Adto, who is presently under tactical interrogation at the QCPD.

Gaerlan said Adto left Lorenzo’s vehicle at the custody of the Traffic Management Group (TMG) in Camp Crame. Adto claimed in a document he signed that he confiscated the vehicle from its owner because he failed to present evidence of ownership during a police operation.