LRT ‘pickers’ not too quick

MANILA, Philippines — Two suspected pickpockets ended up behind bars Thursday after they tried to steal a smartphone from an American citizen at the Cubao station of the Light Rail Transit 2.

Mang Kupas, 26, and Mohaimen Esmale, 27, caught the attention of another passenger who saw them taking the phone of Adam Carl Johnson.

The incident happened around 11:45 a.m. Thursday as Johnson, a resident of Sampaloc, Manila, was getting off the train.

Inspector Alan dela Cruz of the Quezon City Police District’s theft and robbery section said Kupas first bumped the American from behind, took the victim’s LG Nexus phone from his pocket, then quickly handed it to Esmale.  Another passenger saw this and alerted the American and the station guards.

After a brief chase, the guards caught up with the suspects and recovered Johnson’s phone.

Charged with theft, Kupas and Esmale might leave jail if they could produce P20,000 for bail.

Dela Cruz said their fingerprints were submitted to Camp Crame to check if they had been arrested for past robberies and had used other names. Julie M. Aurelio