Manila cops catch 2 rail theft suspects

The Manila police nabbed two men who have allegedly been stealing the rails of the Philippine National Railways (PNR)-owned tracks.

The operation was hatched following reports of rampant pilferage of portions of the railroad track, which can derail trains and cause injuries or deaths among passengers, according to Chief Inspector Edgardo Carpio, chief of the Operations Branch of the District Special Project Unit (DSPU) of the Manila Police District.

Carpio dispatched a team of policemen to monitor the railroad tracks and they caught about nine people loading six metal rails into a parked passenger jeepney (TXL-994).

The suspects ran in different directions at the sight of the approaching policemen, who caught two of the suspects – jeepney driver Jose Bagasal Jr., 34; and Benedict Capistrano, 22.

The arrested suspects admitted having cut and stolen several lengths of metal rails along Laon-Laan and Cristobal in Sampaloc, which they sold to a number of junk shops.

PNR officer Inspector Maurinita Angara confirmed that the six recovered metal rails, with a total length of 15 meters and worth at least P72,000, as the property of the railway agency.

Carpio called on the public to be vigilant against railway thieves and immediately inform the police if they see people tampering with the railroad tracks.

“The police and the public should join hands in order to put a stop into these nefarious activities. These thieves put in peril the riding public,” Carpio said. The PNR said at least P26 million is needed to rehabilitate the railways.

Theft charges were filed against the two suspects even as police launched a manhunt for the rest of their gang.