By: Jennifer P. Rendon
AN ONLINE advertisement led to the arrest of an alleged carnapper afternoon of Sept. 12, 2019 in Miagao, Iloilo.
The suspect, 30-year old Melfred Obedente of Barangay Igpajo, Miagao, reportedly posted a motorcycle on a car buy and sell Facebook page.
It turned out that the said motorcycle was stolen on Aug. 5, 2019 while it was parked outside the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital in Molo, Iloilo City.
The motorcycle owner, Philip Alfred Suprena, 20, of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo saw the online post and coordinated with the Molo Police Station.
Police Major Engilbert Banquillo, Molo police chief, said a police set up a dummy account and transacted with Obedente on Sept. 11.
The seller and the “buyer” agreed to meet up at Zulueta Ave., Miagao where he was eventually arrested.
Obedente, whose wife is working abroad, claimed that he only bought the motorcycle from another person.
When he was further quizzed at the Miagao Police Station, Obedente admitted that he bought five more motorcycles and are now kept at his house.
Banquillo said they have already alerted the PNP Highway Patrol Group to locate the owners of the five other motorcycles.
As of yesterday morning, a man from Jaro, Iloilo City called up the Molo Police Station saying that he could have owned one of the five motorcycles.
It was gathered that Obedente has no previous police records in Miagao or Molo police stations
He was already charged for violation of Republic Act 10883 or the New Anti-Carnapping Act of 2016 and Presidential Decree 1612 of the Anti-Fencing Law of 1979.
