Caloocan cops search for hijackers

MANILA, Philippines - The Caloocan City police are still tracking down at least six men in police uniform who hijacked a delivery van along C-3 Road Tuesday that contained promotional products.

“We are still conducting follow-up investigations,” Superintendent Florendo Quibuyen, Caloocan City police acting chief, told The STAR yesterday.

Ricky Pag-iwayan, 33, driver of the Mitsubishi Canter (RGJ-312), told police that armed men commandeered his delivery van as he stopped for a red light at the corner of C-3 Road and Dagat-Dagatan Avenue at around 10 p.m. Tuesday.

He said two of at least six armed men, wearing police pants with black jackets, alighted from a white Mitsubishi van without license plates and ordered him and his helper Elmer Bonjor, 24, to get off their delivery truck.

The suspects hogtied and blindfolded the driver and his helper, and took the victims’ belongings. The other suspects drove the delivery van, which contained assorted umbrellas and glasses intended as promotional products, toward Libis Baesa, still in Caloocan City where they dumped Pag-iwayan and Bonjor. The hijackers again sped off to unknown destination.

The victims were able to untie themselves and asked assistance from barangay watchmen, who brought them to the police station.

The police immediately conducted a follow-up operation but failed to arrest the suspects. As of yesterday, the delivery van, owned by trader Lucio Pelaco, and its cargo still remain missing.