3 LTO employees nabbed for car license plate theft

LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr., and members of DILG Special Project Group present the three suspects in the alleged theft of license plates from the LTO Plates Making Plant to members of the media on Friday, January 26, 2024. The three suspects were arrested on Thursday, January 25,  INQUIRER.net / Luisa Cabato

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities have arrested three employees of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for allegedly stealing license plates from the LTO Plate Making Plant.

In a press conference, LTO chief and Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said law enforcers have also launched a manhunt for another LTO employee, who supposedly serves as the “team leader.”

“In coordination with the DILG [Department of the Interior and Local Government] and the Philippine National Police, we are now [investigating] all those involved in this modus and to determine if they are part of any criminal syndicate,” he said.

According to Mendoza, the investigation started in 2023 when the LTO Intelligence and Investigation Division, led by Renante Militante, received information that some LTO employees were stealing license plates.

READ: Car owners urged to verify license plates with LTO

On Thursday, a security guard at the facility tipped Militante that the three LTO employees were allegedly stealing five license plates.

The information was relayed to DILG chief Benhur Abalos Jr., who tasked the Philippine National Police to carry out the arrest.

“Based on the result of the investigation, they are selling the license plate at P10,000 per piece. We are now trying to determine how long and how many license plates have been stolen by these errant employees,” said Mendoza.

He added that the suspects are detained and facing charges of violation of Article 310 (qualified theft) and Article 294 (robbery) of the Revised Penal Code.

Administrative charges will also be filed against them, said the LTO chief.

Technical carjacking

Based on the investigation, the arrested suspects are part of a “grand illegal scheme involving newly acquired motor vehicles through financing.”

“A thorough investigation revealed that the modus starts with a leader or a financier who will acquire a vehicle through financing and will illegally sell the vehicle using duplicated plates and fake OR/CR,” the LTO said in a press release sent to reporters.

“By doing so, the financier finds its way to provide a fraudulent plate and OR/CR from his/her contact inside LTO amounting to or less P20,000 each pair of plates. More so, his/her contact will then request the Plate Making Plant (PMP) team leader to illegally put these so-called duplicate plates,” it added.

The LTO also said that when the replicated plate is ready, the team leader, or “warehouse supervisor,” will deliver it to the financier by courier after receiving payment to conclude the deal.

Mendoza noted that the scheme could be considered “technical carnapping.”

“The most important part of Technical Carnapping is the role of the con artist that usually fronts in the transaction by disguising themselves as the registered car owner during the disposal phase,” he explained.

“Hence, a backstop identification card and other proof that can support the belief that the con artist is the registered owner is essential in the documentation prior to the disposal of the motor vehicle. The con artist must have valid identification cards (falsified or bogus) that will match the name in the falsified registration documents,” he added.