“The suspects, on board a van or car without license plates, will pretend to be customers in a carwash shop to look for prospective targets. Once the target is zeroed in, the suspects will return and take the vehicle by force.
Most of the suspects are heavily armed. They are good-looking men and young, probably in their early 30s.”


I RECEIVED a phone call from one of deClassified Files’ moles, informing me about a carjacking incident in Angeles City last Friday afternoon.
It was already late in the afternoon so I just took some sketchy details. Besides, our editorial office (Central Luzon Daily) had just closed its pages; no chance of having a re-mat.
Anyway, thanks to the class-A1 information. Rest assured, we're going to give a good treatment to the story so that the public, especially the motorists, would become aware of the latest modus-operandi of carjacking and carnap-ring gangs operating not only in Metro Angeles areas but also in other parts of Central Luzon.
Two of the carjacking incidents where a modus had been applied happened in Angeles City.
The suspects, on board a van or car without license plates, will pretend to be customers in a carwash shop to look for prospective targets. Once the target is zeroed in, the suspects will return and take the vehicle by force.
Most of the suspects are heavily armed. They are good-looking men and young, probably in their early 30s.
One of the suspects, according to a carwash crew placed under investigation by the police, took the vehicle at gunpoint. Most of these are luxury ones such as a Toyota Fortuner and other sports utility vehicles (SUV).
Other members of the syndicate would be waiting in another car that serves as a back-up.
Most customers leave the ignition keys to the carwash crew, promising to be back soon. Others stay in a waiting area.

This modus seems to be newly introduced in Pampanga by the syndicate. We have yet to receive a similar incident like this in other carwash shops in the rest of Central Luzon.
Dear readers, let this corner inform everyone about the syndicate's activities. Those who read this piece, please pass it to your friends as a precautionary measure.

The number of carnapping and carjacking cases has skyrocketed with the start of 2010. In Angeles City alone, there are at least six incidents recorded by the police in a span of one month. This is alarming. Could we request the Highway Patrol Group 3 mobile operatives to increase their efforts against carnap incidents?
Senior Supt. Fernando Villanueva, regional chief of the HPG3 and his deputy Supt. Ronald Hipolito, should put a stop to these carjacking and carnapping cases. deClassified Files is not saying that HPG3 is inutile; its just that public does not feel your presence.
Some are asking if the HPG3 has been disbanded? ‘No, they are on the streets busy monitoring criminal activities,’ was my reply. Monitoring what? 
deClassified Files would like to suggest some useful information to curb the carjacking of vehicles in carwash shops.
First, authorities have to call on owners, including their crew, for an assembly. There, they have to organize themselves and pledge to help the law enforcers. Cops should take the names and addresses of attendants for a background check.
Second, advise customers not to leave the ignition key to a carwash shop crew or to the owner. If they must leave the carwash, then they should be in a distance where they can closely watch their car.
Third, owners of vehicles must carry with them the cellphone numbers of the nearest police station near a carwash shop, even the cellphone number of a police desk in an area where the shop is located.

Lastly, always be alert and have "presence of mind."
In such incidents, the owner of the vehicle is the one to blame. We cannot blame the law enforcers or the carwash crew. Car owners must always be safety-conscious at all times.
Carwash shops should also be held liable for such incident. We cannot discount the possibility that some of the workers or the crew have links to carjacking syndicates. We cannot also blame the authorities if they suspect some carwash crew.
Good thing, some of the stolen vehicles has been recovered by authorities without even firing a single shot.
It’s high time for authorities to go back to the drawing board, including the owners of carwash shops, to map out plans against carjacking gangs operating in their respective areas of responsibilities.
deClassified Files does not believe that carjacking cases in Central Luzon have something to do with the forthcoming elections. But in the past, stolen vehicles especially SUVs found their way into the hands of politicians using them in campaign sorties.
Nevertheless, car owners should always be aware of the latest modus of any crime group for their safety and security. Beware!

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Send your comments and suggestions to deClassified Files through jessmalabanan@yahoo.com. Extreme violent reactions are also welcome.