CEBU, Philippines - Police are now looking for the third alleged carnapper who remains free after her two accomplices were arrested last Friday.
Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, chief of City Intelligence Branch of the Cebu City Police Office, also said they are now tracing where the other five cars stolen and pawned by the suspects are.
Santander believes that suspects Gionna Marie Geolina, 36; and Maria Roselyn Olid, 40; and the third female suspect, are members of a carnapping syndicate which uses women to pretend to be legitimate customers in deceiving car rental companies.
“This is not an ordinary case,†said Santander.
He further said they will coordinate with the Highway Patrol Group to check if this incident is related to car theft incidents in Manila. The car thieves, Santander said, belong to a syndicate allegedly headed by a former policeman.
The CIB chief urged rent-a-car service companies to thoroughly verify the background of their customers before renting out their cars to prevent theft.
Santander also advised lending firms, where the cars were pawned, to countercheck the documents of the pawner before receiving the vehicles.
Last Friday, Mabolo Police arrested Geolina and Olid outside a rent-a-car service company in Barangay Mabolo after they were identified by their victim.
Mabolo Police led by station chief Ryan Devaras recovered three cars from different lending firms in Cebu. The following day, CIB recovered two other stolen vehicles in San Fernando town.
Santander said the suspects revealed where they pawned the cars during questioning.
A charge for estafa was filed against the suspects yesterday. Police said a carnapping case will follow.
Meanwhile, Cebu Provincial Police Office Director, Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said they have not received any information of cars stolen in Cebu province following the arrest of the two suspects in Mabolo last week.
Rather, Comendador what they do have are reports of stolen motorcycles, an average of three to five motorcycles are stolen every month.
“We need monitoring and fast information from car rental companies kay there are certain procedures pud before we can declare carnapping,†Comendador said.
Comendador said they put up chokepoints in five different major and strategic routes especially in Metro Cebu areas to track down criminals going in and out of the province.
Comendador has provided personnel from the headquarters to man the said chokepoints.
“If naay alarma dali ra ma-block ang criminal nga mosulod sa probinsiya gikan sa Cebu City and vice-versa,†he said.
The deployment of personnel started last Saturday. Comendador, however, said they have yet to perfect their alarm response capacity this week.
The CPPO has planned to sustain the chokepoints that will be manned 24/7. - /BRP (FREEMAN)