Man finds stolen car being sold on buy-and-sell website

MANILA, Philippines–A man whose car was stolen was able to recover it after he chanced upon the vehicle being sold on a buy-and-sell website, which he visited on Monday evening to canvas for a new car.

Remegio del Rosario, 44, a resident of Pandacan, Manila, found his beige 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer GLS up for sale online five days after he realized it was stolen from him by his nephew’s live-in partner, Ma. Jessa Esperancilla, 29.

Del Rosario said his nephew and Esperancilla had been living together for the past four years, and were staying with him in the same compound.

So, it was in full confidence that he lent his car to Esperancilla. After borrowing the car, Esperancilla went off-grid; neither Del Rosario nor his nephew could contact her.

Del Rosario reported the incident to Manila Police District’s Anti-Carnapping Investigation Section (Ancar) on Nov. 5.

On Nov. 10, around 8 p.m., Del Rosario was surprised to see his car for sale on OLX.ph for P280,000.

He was visiting the site looking for a less expensive replacement for his stolen sedan.

Entrapment

A report by Chief Insp. Francisco Vargas, Ancar chief, said Del Rosario had asked for Ancar’s assistance in retrieving his car.

Pretending to be an interested buyer, Del Rosario together with Ancar officers set up an entrapment operation at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the corner of Zulueta Street and President Quirino Avenue in Paco, Manila.

The car’s sellers, Paolo Christopher Limpiado and Earl Jhon Cervantes, both 28, were arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle.

They, however, denied knowing that the car was stolen property. The duo said they purchased it from someone, but did not identify who the seller was or if he or she was linked to Esperancilla.

Both Limpiado and Cervantes are sales executives at a car dealer’s office in Makati City.

Ancar is conducting a follow-up investigation to identify the person who sold the car to the arrested suspects and to determine Esperancilla’s whereabouts.

Usually gadgets

Transactions of stolen items, usually gadgets, do occur on the site, said a representative from OLX.ph, who requested not to be identified.

It is a rarity among sales of big-ticket items like cars, the representative said. When sellers are discovered to be peddling stolen property through the company’s designated quality measurement guidelines, their accounts are suspended and all their ads removed.

The representative said it was harder to monitor car sales because sellers usually were not posting their plate numbers and pertinent legal documents, such as deed of sale and OR/CR, to protect their privacy.

Buyers are instead encouraged to physically meet sellers to get a chance to physically inspect the item, ask questions and verify documents before agreeing to the sale. It is the buyer’s right and responsibility to demand that legal documents are presented and to have them further verified by the Land Transportation Office or the Philippine National Police, said the representative.