Car thieves yield missing police van

Here’s proof the police themselves are not immune from falling victim to car theft gangs.

A van seized from four suspected car thieves who were arrested at a police checkpoint on Monday turned out to be a stolen police service vehicle.

Chief Superintendent George Regis, director of the Quezon City Police District, said that a check of the chassis number of the Toyota Innova showed that it belonged to the Police Security Protection Group (PSPG).

“It was apparently stolen last June,” Regis told reporters on Monday night.

Four men were inside the van when it was flagged down at around 1 a.m. on Monday by policemen manning a checkpoint at the corner of D. Tuazon and Cuenco Streets in Quezon City.

According to Supt. Lino Banaag, La Loma police station commander, the Innova was flagged down because there was no license plate displayed in front of the vehicle.

At that time, the police were looking for a black Toyota Fortuner that had been reported stolen from its owner in Mandaluyong City.

The four men were identified as Garry Ceriaco, 37, a resident of Trece Martires, Cavite City; Erick Equila, 31, of San Jose, Bulacan; Reynaldo Peralta, 40, of Quezon City; and Carlo Montalbo, 47, of Sta. Ana, Manila.

Upon questioning, one of them admitted his involvement in the carjacking in Mandaluyong City and told the police where they had taken the stolen vehicle.

The Fortuner was later found at a car repair shop in Barangay (village) Old Balara, Quezon City.

As for the Innova, an initial check of the chassis number showed that it belonged to a policeman although the police did not have any idea at first that it was a stolen car because there was no flash alarm for the vehicle.

Further checks, however, showed that it was a PSPG service vehicle that was reported stolen last month.

Asked why their initial verification on the Innova showed that it was not covered by a flash alarm for it, Regis said: “[It turned out] there was an alarm [but] they did not know the procedure for a nationwide alarm to be raised.”

He advised car owners to report any case of car theft to the police to facilitate the recovery of the stolen vehicle.

Regis added that reporting the theft would remove any liability on the part of the owner in case the stolen vehicle is used in illegal activities.