BRAND new cars, particularly those with no license plates yet, are now the hot targets of car theft gangs.
The Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group have warned that carjacking syndicates are going after sport utility vehicles which only have conduction stickers serving as the temporary license plates.
Senior Supt. Arnold Gunnacao said brand new vehicles without license plates would be easy to sell.
Syndicates ship the vehicles to the Visayas and Mindanao, where there are customers for expensive SUVs, according to Gunnacao.
Vehicles would be passed off as imported vehicles in Mindanao, or brand new cars in Visayas and Mindanao.
“Rich people in Mindanao are fond of SUVs as these are the types they usually order from carnapping syndicates,” Gunnacao said.
Car theft gangs would receive specific orders for colors, models and brands of vehicles and look for newly bought vehicles in Metro Manila that fit the description.
After stealing the cars, they ship them to Visayas and Mindanao, where insiders in government offices would arrange to have the vehicles registered to the new “owners.”
Gunnacao added that in some cases, even ordinary sedans were being stolen, not just high end SUVs.
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