Man caught with stolen motorbike

MANILA, Philippines - A man wanted for stealing a motorcycle in 2011 was arrested when he was caught riding a stolen motorcycle Thursday night, an official said yesterday.

Sammy Omara was accosted along Ilagan street in Barangay Paltok while riding a Yamaha Mio motorcycle without a license plate and without a driver’s license, said Superintendent Pedro Sanchez, commander of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 2.

Policemen also found another Yamaha Mio motorcycle without a plate and with tampered chassis parked nearby, Sanchez said.

Both motorcycles were brought to the police station for verification. The motorcycle Omara was riding was stolen while it was parked at a market in Cainta, Rizal last Aug. 15, according to Land Transportation Office records of the vehicle’s chassis number.

Police records showed Omara was wanted for another motorcycle theft in 2011, said QCPD director Chief Superintendent Richard Albano.

According to Albano, Omara was implicated in the motorcycle theft case with a cousin, Christian Laxamana. Omara’s middle name is Laxamana. The suspects had been arrested but posted bail and never attended their arraignment, prompting the court to issue a warrant for their arrest, Sanchez said.

According to Sanchez, Omara belongs to a group of Laxamana relatives reportedly engaged in motorcycle theft. “The suspect pointed to a warehouse in North Caloocan, where the stolen motorcycles are supposedly stored,” he said.

The police official said there are about five men – all relatives – involved in the gang, which targets motorcycles parked in various parts of the city.