AUTHORITIES are now focusing manhunt operations against the remnants of the Ivan Padilla carnapping syndicate including a number of pretty girls who were used to get “access” to their potential victims.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) spokesman Rommel Miranda said the women members of the group are as young, or even younger, than its leader, 23-year-old Ivan Padilla.
“Sa isinagawa nating research napag-alaman namin ang isa sa mga suspects na babae ay mayroon pang Twitter account. May nabanggit sya dun na related sa mga krimen,” Miranda said, adding that many of the women come from well-off families.
“Sa ibang kaso, ang mga babae ginagamit para maging kaibigan ang mga potential victims. A-attend sa mga bar, mga party at ibang mga pagtitipon,” he added.
Miranda believed Padilla started his criminal activities at age 19 where he first got involved in a petty crime and then developed into a full-blown criminal gang leader involved in robberies, carnapping, and illegal drugs.
Padilla died at the Ospital ng Makati after he engaged elements of the Regional Police Intelligence Operations Unit-Anti-Carnapping Unit (RPIOU-ANCAR) in a firefight early Monday in Makati City.
His companion, Mark Inducil, surrendered to the police.
The operation came days after Padilla allegedly escaped an entrapment in Quezon City, where two of his companions, Dale Alimagno, 22, and Glenn de Castillo, 31, were arrested.
The NCRPO said the Padilla group is behind two high-profile carnapping incidents in Metro Manila including the incident at the Global City in Taguig where the Toyota Camry (ZLN-415) owned by former Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo and the Toyota Innova (ZCE-378) of Japanese businessman Koji Hasegawa. (AH/Sunnex)