GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 22 Feb) – Joint police operatives recovered in nearby Koronadal City a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that is reportedly owned by a victim of car rental swindle or “rent–sangla” scam from Laguna province.
Chief Insp. Arnold Cariño, Highway Patrol Group (HPG)-South Cotabato chief, said Wednesday they recovered the maroon Mitsubishi Montero Sport SUV at past 2 p.m. Tuesday along General Santos Drive in Barangay Morales.
He said the operation was backed by elements from the Koronadal City police station led by Supt. Barney Condes.
The recovered SUV, which carries a temporary license plate NL 7883, is registered to Alvin Eliscas of Laguna.
The vehicle’s driver was identified as Rhoderick Quiambao, who was listed as a resident of Koronadal City.
Cariño said they were initially ordered by HPG-Region 12 to verify the presence of the SUV in the area and conduct a recovery operation.
He said the vehicle’s registered owner coordinated with the Laguna Provincial Police Office and the Police Regional Office 4A after the vehicle’s location was traced in Koronadal City based on the installed global positioning system or GPS device.
“We immediately conducted a checkpoint operation to recover the vehicle,” he said in a radio interview.
The police official said Eliscas, the registered owner, reportedly acquired the vehicle in September last year and enlisted it in a car rental business after being convinced by a certain Lorena Adriano.
Cariño said the rental payments were initially prompt but problems later emerged after he was issues with bounced checks.
“At that time, he could no longer contact (Adriano) and had no idea regarding the status of his vehicle,” he said.
Cariño said it turned out that the SUV had been mortgaged to Quiambao for P400,000.
He said they have transferred the recovered vehicle to the HPG-12 headquarters here for proper processing and filing of charges. (MindaNews)
