QC police catch 5 men in ‘palit bato’ modus

Three men, two of them minors, have been arrested by policemen in Quezon City after they reportedly stole a motorcycle which they were planning to exchange for illegal drugs.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) identified the five as Norman Emo, 26; Dady Boy Roxas, 22; Sherwin Beslig, 24; and two boys aged 16 and 17; all residents of Barangay Payatas.

They were accused of stealing a motorcycle at 4:30 a.m. Friday which they planned to trade for “shabu.” The QCPD has called the scheme “palit bato” as shabu is also known as bato (stone) in Filipino.

The police said Barangay Commonwealth watchmen were on patrol when they spotted three men not wearing helmets on a Honda Wave motorcycle. When the watchmen flagged them down, the men sped away but one of them, the 16-year-old boy, fell off the vehicle.

He was turned over to the Batasan police station where he confessed that they were engaged in the palit bato scheme. He also told the police where they could find his companions, leading to their arrest at a house in Barangay Payatas.