Phil: Police Warn of Rise In Car Theft

A sports utility vehicle (SUV) and a van were stolen in Quezon City Tuesday night, police said Wednesday while warning the public against a rise in car theft during the holidays.

Senior Inspector Rodelio Marcelo, chief of the Anti-Carnapping Unit of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD-ANCAR), said the vehicles stolen were a white Toyota Fortuner (NAO-906) owned by Arnel Linipin, 40, and a white Nissan Urvan (conduction sticker LC-2268) of Adelio Cortes, 55.

Marcelo warned vehicle owners against car theft and petty crimes during the Christmas season.
He said a group of car thieves was targeting Toyota Vios, Toyota Fortuners and other SUVs.

The police official said that the Fortuner was forcibly taken by thieves at around 11:15 p.m. in front of the house of Linipin at No. 70 Wallnut St., Barangay West Fairview.
Linipin, a training director of Alliance in Motion Global Inc., told police he was about to park his SUV at his garage when two men got out of dark sedan pointed a gun at him.

The two men then boarded the SUV and drove off followed by the dark sedan, said Linipin, who failed to get the plate number of car used by the thieves. Cortes reported to police that he discovered his Urvan was no longer at the parking slot in front of business establishment along Ilocos Sur St., Barangay Alicia, Bago Bantay. Cortes has a mini-mart and hardware shop.

He told police that he arrived in the area to supervise his shops and had his vehicle parked there at around 6 p.m. However, when he was about to leave late that night his Urvan was no longer there.
Police learned that the security guard even assisted the Urvan in getting out of the parking space thinking that Cortes was driving the vehicle.

Marcelo believes that the persons who carjacked the Fortuner of Linipin are part of the group of suspected carnapper Redentor Fajardo.

Fajardo is a suspect in the death of a man in a foiled carjacking attempt of another Fortuner last December 7 in Quezon City. Fajardo, a former kagawad in his hometown in Baliuag, Bulacan, is alleged to have turned to car theft after losing in the last elections.