‘Rent-sangla’ car recovered in Cavite

SAN PEDRO CITY – A car allegedly sold illegally through the “rent-sangla” scheme was recovered in Silang, Cavite on Monday, the police Highway Patrol Group (HPG) said on Wednesday.

This was the latest development in the multi-million peso car rental scam that prompted hundreds of vehicle owners to file a case at the Department of Justice last year.

The car, a Toyota Vios with conduction sticker number VI4733, was recovered along the Tagaytay-Sta.Rosa road in Barangay Puting Kahoy, Silang.

A report from the Calabarzon police, said authorities flagged down the vehicle when they spotted its driver, Wilson Tesoro, driving without a seatbelt on.

When questioned, Tesoro could not show documents for the vehicle and later admitted to authorities that the car was bought through the “rent-sangla” racket.

“It also turned out that the car was on the police hold-order list,” said Chief Insp. Felipe Eliponga of the HPG in Calabarzon.

Eliponga, in a phone interview Wednesday, said the car owner earlier filed a case in Pasay City, claiming that the vehicle was pawned by the alleged scam mastermind, Rafaela Anunciacion.

Anunciacion faced a string of estafa cases but was released from detention after posting bail in 2017.

Meanwhile, another suspect, Lea Rosales, was gunned down in April 2017 after attending the preliminary hearing at the prosecutor’s office in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.

Eliponga said the police had yet to recover “thousands” of vehicles.

The scheme reportedly duped car owners into a car rental business but the suspects ended up pawning or selling the vehicles to other people.

“Normally, a car (involved in the ‘rent-sangla’) is sold for P200,000 and an SUV (sports utility vehicle) for P400,000. We are warning the public to be more careful when buying cars and make sure the documents are authentic,” Eliponga added.