The sport utility vehicle (SUV) of a Pasay City judge stolen from his driver in Quezon City has been recovered in Angeles City, a police official said.
Senior Supt. Rodolfo Recomono Jr., Angeles City police director, said the black Mitsubishi Montero was found in San Ignacio Subdivision at around 7 p.m. on Thursday.
The vehicle’s motor and chassis numbers matched the SUV stolen from Marlon Quioco, who was killed on July 29 after he refused to turn over the vehicle to two armed men.
The SUV belongs to Pasay City judge Racquelen Vasguez.
Recomono said witnesses had identified the man who abandoned the stolen car as Allan Villapaña, a resident of San Ignacio subdivision, Angeles City in Pampanga province.
Villapaña is still at large.
Two suspects in the robbery who also shot and killed Quioco had been arrested earlier, said Supt. Ferdinand Villanueva, head of the Quezon City Police District anticarnap unit.
He identified the pair as Garry Ceriaco and Carlo Montalbo.
Villanueva said the Mitsubishi Montero was found parked in front of Villapaña’s house on San Pablo Street.
The anticarnap chief said the suspects are members of the Jimenez car theft group.
They had been arrested previously for the same offense but had been released after they posted bail, he added.
The SUV was found by intelligence units of the Angeles City police and Bataan provincial police.
“The constant communication between the QCPD and other provincial police offices resulted in the recovery of the stolen vehicle,” said
Villanueva.
He said the Montero’s conduction stickers and plate numbers were missing when it was recovered.
A “16 NCR” plate was found inside the stolen vehicle.
Villanueva said they have yet to talk to Villapaña to shed light on why the Montero was parked in front of his house which was empty when operatives arrived.
Villapaña’s relatives who lived in the same area told police that they saw Villapaña driving the vehicle without a sticker and license plates.
Villanueva said Villapaña could face carnapping with homicide charges, along with the two other suspects
Ceriaco and Montalbo have denied their involvement in the car-robbery, although they admitted they were part of the Jimenez car theft group.