A 38-YEAR-OLD former overseas Filipino worker was arrested last Friday morning in Carmen, Cebu, two hours after he allegedly carnapped a delivery van in Mandaue City.
Jonathan Garay, a native of Butuan City and a suspected drug user, landed in jail after operatives from Carmen Police Station intercepted him while driving a delivery van owned by Goldlink Asia Logistics Corp. around 11 a.m.
He was turned over to the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) along with the van and detained at Centro Police Station.
Insp. Jimmy Fortes, chief of Centro Police Station, said that Garay also carnapped a delivery van parked on A.C. Cortes in Barangay Maguikay last Dec. 14.
Both vans were recovered.
Police recovered the second van, an Isuzu Canter, during a checkpoint after the MCPO alerted police stations in the northern towns.
GPS
Fortes said they tracked down the suspect because the van was equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) device.
Garay allegedly drove off with the van, loaded with food products, around 9 a.m.
The van, which delivers food supplies to two major fastfood outlets, was parked outside a mall in Barangay Ibabao, Mandaue City.
Fortes said the driver, Joseph Hernandez, 33, was busy carrying supplies from the van to a fastfood outlet inside the Pacific Mall when Garay sneaked into the driver’s seat where the former left the key.
Police also recovered the first van, a Mitsubishi owned by a water company, in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City past 9 p.m. on the same day.
Garay allegedly carnapped the van while the driver was sending money at a money transfer outlet.
Agents from MCPO went to Garay’s temporary residence in Barangay West Poblacion, Naga City to recover the vehicle but the suspect’s friend, Clyde Pantoy, said the van was in his brother’s residence in Gun-ob.
Police recovered the vehicle in the residence of Peter Pantoy in Sitio Humay-Humay.
Fortes said the brothers will not be included in the carnapping complaint being prepared against Garay because they cooperated with the police. RSB