4 arrested in car theft, kidnapping of Chinese

SCALAWAGS Philippine Naional Police Director General Oscar Albayalde (right) and National Capital Region Police Office chief Guillermo Eleazar present to the media four suspects in the kidnapping of a Chinese national and car theft in Camp Karingal, Quezon City.—NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

A former policeman, a dismissed intelligence agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), a traffic constable from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and another suspect were arrested after being tagged in the kidnapping of a Chinese national and theft of his family’s vehicles in Quezon City last month.

In a press conference on Friday, Philippine National Police Director Oscar Albayalde identified the suspects as former PDEA Intelligence Agent 1 Arnold Camayang, 33; Mark Anthony Roque, 36, dismissed police officer 1 formerly assigned at the PNP-Crime Laboratory; MMDA traffic constable Alvin Jay Roque, 27;  and Christian John Talaue,  22.

All are natives  of Tuao, Cagayan, and are  related to each other, the PNP chief said.

The suspects were arrested by operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit led by Supt. Rodelio Marcelo, anticarnapping unit led by Chief Insp. Hector Ortencio and PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) under Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo.

Made-up traffic violation

Marcelo said the victim, Wu Yaochui, 21, and his errand boy were in a white Toyota Commuter van  near S&R Supermarket  along Congressional Avenue  when they were blocked by two armed suspects on a gray Toyota Commuter van around 2 p.m. on May 25.

The armed suspects, later identified as Roque and Camayang, allegedly introduced themselves as policemen and called the victim out for a made-up traffic violation,  said Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office chief.

The two suspects then handcuffed the victims and transferred them to their own vehicle, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said.

QCPD chief Joselito Esquivel said the suspects  initially demanded P3 million in exchange for the victims’ freedom but Wu requested to lower the amount to P300,000.

Round 2

Wu then asked the suspects to get the ransom money from his house at Congressional Village in Project 8, Quezon City, where the suspects also  took two other vehicles from the garage—a Toyota Fortuner and another Toyota Commuter van of Wu’s brother Shaowei, 36, Marcelo said.

Albayalde said the car theft in May was a “round two, repeat order” because the gray van  used to kidnap the Chinese was the same van stolen in  Potrero, Malabon, on April 7, which was also owned by the victim.

Vans spotted

On Wednesday, Esquivel said the victim’s white and gray Toyota Hiace Commuter vans were spotted parked along Bulusan Street corner Amoranto, Quezon City, prompting the police to conduct a stakeout.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, the police arrested Alvin Jay and Talaue while driving the victims’ white Toyota van.

The PNP also recovered the gray Toyota Commuter van.

Mark Anthony was arrested in an anticar theft operation on June 6 along McArthur Highway near Fatima University in Valenzuela City.

Police said Mark Anthony had arrogantly introduced himself as a police officer but was arrested for driving a Toyota Hiace Grandia with no plate number and conduction sticker. He also could not show proof of ownership.

Mark Anthony was dismissed from the police service on Nov. 12, 2016, for serious neglect of duty. Camayang was dismissed in April this year.

Arrest at Crame

Last to be arrested was Camayang who was instructed to bring the documents of the Hiace Grandia to the parking lot of the PNP-HPG in Camp Crame.

“We set up an entrapment operation…Camayang later arrived at the PNP Crame with the documents using Wu’s Toyota Fortuner,” Marcelo said.

Shaowei positively identified Mark Anthony and Camayang as the people who forcibly took away their vehicles.