CALLING it a result of an honest-to-goodness police investigation and follow-up operation, Police Regional Office 4-A director, Brigadier General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. on Wednesday said they have smashed a ‘Basag-Kotse Gang’ which has gained notoriety for preying on motor vehicle owners in Calabarzon region with the arrest of four of its members.

The official said that from September to December 2022 alone, they have monitored at least six ‘Basag-Kotse’ incidents in the region in which the suspects employed the same modus operandi of breaking their target vehicle’s window before stealing all valuables inside.

The breakthrough in their investigation came after the Laguna Police Provincial Office headed by Colonel Randy Glenn G. Silvio received valuable information that the suspects were using a black Mazda sedan with gold-colored mags and with plate no. UTX-319.

The same car was spotted with at least four occupants in different parts of San Pedro City, Sta. Rosa City and Cabuyao City in Laguna province and in nearby Bacoor City in Cavite where ‘Basag-Kotse’ incidents have been recorded each time they were seen by witnesses.

Brig. Gen. Nartatez said they discovered the suspects usually operated between 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 in the evening. Among their victims was a Laguna vice-mayor and two teen celebrities in Bacoor City, he added.

Following information from several sources, the Laguna PPO headed by Col. Silvio created ‘Anti-Basag-Kotse Teams’ in the province, all dedicated to arrest the presence of the theft syndicate. It was headed by Major Merben Bryan M. Lago, the chief of the Laguna PPO Provincial Intelligence Unit.

Nartatez said that undercover agents were also deployed to monitor the suspect’s getaway vehicle in hotels, restaurants and shopping malls in Laguna and Cavite as well as parking lots of various gasoline stations situated along the Southern Luzon Expressway.

In the evening of December 28, the PRO4-A director said they received a complaint from Attorney Henry Salazar, the San Pedro City administrator that his car was victimized by the same gang in front of Takara Hotel in Barangay San Antonio.

It turned out that the official’s car was parked on the side of the road around 11 p.m. on Wednesday last week when one of the suspects identified as Joey Aguirre Masayonaka alighted from the black Mazda and broke the rear right window of the complainant’s vehicle before carting away a brown bag containing a MacBook Air laptop computer and a Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol with a loaded magazine.

Brig. Gen. Nartatez said the administrator’s driver and a companion saw the incident and tried but failed to stop the suspects from fleeing towards the San Pedro Exit.

However, unknown to the suspects, the official’s bag had a GPS device which enabled them to track down the thieves’ locations.

The following day, the Laguna police conducted a hot pursuit operation with the help of the PRO4-A Regional Intelligence Division and Regional Special Operations Unit, the Cavite PPO and the Bacoor City Police Station.

In a span of three hours, the lawmen managed to track down the suspects. One of them identified as Alberth Santos, a 44-year old businessman tagged as the group’s mastermind was arrested in Bacoor City.

Santos was arrested along with his wife Remy, 42. Recovered from their possession were the city administrator’s stolen MacBook Air and pistol with serial no. AFVA230.

Also recovered during the operation were a Toyota Fortuner with plate no. NDI 9858, a Taurus pistol with two magazines containing several live ammunition, a ThinkPad laptop, a Huawei Table, a Dell laptop computer, two laptop bags, seven charger cords, two cellphone charges, three wallets, four mobile phones and P6,600 in cash.

An investigation showed that the couple are acting as the ‘buyers/fence’ of the suspects that include Masayon.

Masayon, a 45-year-old tricycle driver from Muena Street in Alabang, Muntinlupa City and his brother Jimmy,48, also a driver from Biñan City, were arrested in a follow-up operation in Bgy. San Antonio in San Pedro City.

Confiscated from their possession were one 9mm pistol with a magazine containing eight bullets, a cal. .45 pistol without serial number and with a magazine containing six live ammunition and the Mazda with plate no. UTK-319.

Brig. Gen. Nartatez said two other members of the group identified as Jose Masayon and Joval Valentim are still being hunted as of press time.

He added that a record check showed that Joey Masayon is the subject of a pending warrant of arrest for theft issued by Judge Frederick Separat of the Parañaque City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 78 with a P10,000 recommended bail.

On the other hand, Jimmy Masayon is also the subject of a similar warrant of arrest issued by Lipa City Judge Pamela Chavez-Izon who also ordered him to post a P10,000 bail.

All the suspects are facing charges for theft under Article 308 of the Revised Penal Code, violation of Presidential Decree 1612 or the Anti-Fencing Law and Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013.

Brig. Gen. Nartatez said he has ordered his men to coordinate their follow-up operations to arrest the other suspects with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).