Woman arrested for trying to claim motorcycle with fake docs

Suzuki 125 scooter. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines—A woman landed in jail Monday after she tried to claim a motorcycle that had been impounded at the Quezon City Police District headquarters with fake registration and other documents.

Norjanah Dida-agun, 26, a businesswoman from Marikina, was charged with falsification of documents and using fake documents for presenting what turned out to be a fake certificate of registration and official receipt when she went to the QCPD anti-car theft investigation office to recover an impounded motorcycle she claimed was hers.

Case investigator PO3 Dennis Telen said Dida-agun’s motorcycle, a Suzuki 125, was one of 25 motorcycles with questionable papers seized on Monday as part of the ongoing “Operation Lambat.”

The QCPD’s “Operation Lambat” is an ongoing campaign against stolen motorcycles or those with questionable documents in a bid to go after motorcycle-riding criminals.

So far, 233 motorcycles have been seized in six days of operations.

The Suzuki 125 motorcycle was recovered from the possession of a Dionisio Cajoto, 33, of Marikina City, who presented spurious papers, arousing the suspicion of police operatives.

Both the motorcycle and its driver were brought to the QCPD headquarters, where a verification with the Land Transportation Office’s license plate making plant showed that the license plate 4820-QZ was not officially manufactured by the agency.

Dida-agun showed up at around 12:30 p.m. Monday, bringing a supposedly genuine certificate of registration and official receipt to claim the motorcycle.

However, investigators noticed that the documents lacked the security features of original LTO documents, prompting another check with the LTO.

Telen said they found out from the LTO that it did not print the documents that Dida-agun presented, leading to her arrest.

Both Dida-agun and Cajoto were subjected to inquest proceedings on Monday, with the inquest fiscal Nanette Austria finding probable cause against them.

Austria recommended a P12,000 bail for the falsification charges against the woman and a P2,000 bail for Cajoto’s case of using a fake license plate.

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