Cop, 4 others nabbed for stealing gas from cargo truck

Police arrested Saturday five people, including a policeman, while in the act of stealing gasoline from the cargo truck owned by former Philippine National Police chief retired Gen. Edgar Aglipay in Laguna.

Calabarzon police director Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla strongly believes that the suspects- PO2 Nelson Villas of West Crame, Quezon City; Joey Villas, Auspecio Dumalaan, Rey Lamadua, and Dante Matias-belong to a gas theft syndicate operating in Laguna and nearby areas.

“We are conducting tactical interrogation against the suspects to determine the extent of their operation in the Calabarzon area,” said Padilla in an interview.

Padilla said the suspects were dispensing gasoline from the truck (TYM 211) and owned by Aglipay along Barangay Pulong Sta. Cruz in Sta. Rosa town at about 8 p.m. when intercepted by his men headed by Chief Inspector Eduard Mallo.

In his report to Padilla, Mallo said the suspects were transferring the stolen gasoline into a parked truck, (RFY 216), owned by a certain Bong Tan.

The suspects yielded evidence such as gas dispensing apparatus and several containers.

Padilla said the suspects have stolen at least 600 liters of gasoline from Aglipay’s truck.

It was not known how much per liter the suspects were selling the stolen gasoline to Tan but Padilla said they could have been operating for several years now.

Because of the recent P1 rollback per liter, premium gasoline now costs P56.07 per liter.

Police filed violation of the anti-fencing law charges against the policeman and Villas before the Sta. Rosa Prosecutors’ Office while Dumalaan, Lamadua and Matias were charged with qualified theft.

Assistant city prosecutor Frisco Marfil recommended a P44,000 bail on the policeman and Villas and P66,000 bail to the three other suspects.