Three suspected car thieves fall in Pampanga

By Ronron
October 30, 2007

The Traffic Management Group (TMG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) apprehended three suspected car thieves on Monday night in Pampanga province as they were driving a stolen van.

TMG Director Chief Supt. Perfecto Palad identified the suspects as Michael Dingal, 28, Mark Dingal, 25, and Rolando dela Cruz, 20, all of Angeles City, Pampanga.

The three were nabbed at around 10pm the other day (Monday) along Sunset Street in Angeles City as they were found aboard a black Hyundai Starex van (2007 Model) that was earlier reported to have been forcibly taken from its owner at about 1:20 am last October 28.

The van was being driven by a certain Samuel Villarena along Visayas Avenue in Tandang Sora, Quezon City when six armed men on board a Ford Everest blocked it and took it away.

Palad said elements of Task Force LIMBAS spotted the van on Monday night and flagged it down since it has no license plates.

Upon inspection, the three allegedly failed to present any document for the said vehicle. The police discovered later that it was the same vehicle stolen from Villarena.

“The TMG operatives immediately placed the three occupants under arrest and brought them and the vehicle to the TMG headquarters (in Camp Crame, Quezon City) for further investigation,” Palad said.

During initial interrogation, the three admitted to being members of the carnapping syndicate led by the notorious Raymund Dominguez, Palad said.

Villarena pointed at Mark Dingal as one of the six men who took the van and who hit him with a gun during the incident when the three suspects were presented yesterday morning to the media in Camp Crame.

Palad said the three will be charged with carnapping.

Palad said he is hoping that Congress will act on the PNP’s appeal to classify carnapping as a heinous crime so that suspects will no longer repeat committing the crime.

Palad lamented that with the affordable bail amount for the crime of carnapping, it would be hard to discourage violators of the law from doing the same.

Under the law, a suspect charged with carnapping can post bail at P180,000./DMS